Lyubov and Selver’s friendship didn’t directly cause Thele’s death, but it is important that she died directly after one of the secret meetings Lyubov helped to arrange. Again, Lyubov and Selver’s friendship saved Selver and the Athsheans, but it also (indirectly) forced them both to sacrifice a great deal. That said, Lyubov is right that Davidson was
directly responsible for Thele’s death, and Lyubov’s description of Davidson’s mindset mimics the role of violence in the novella. Violence is cyclical, and Davidson’s acts of violence generate violence against himself. Here, Lyubov suggests that Davidson’s decision to enact violence is part of his nature, but the novella has already implied that this isn’t the case—instead, violence is Davidson’s choice.