Rainsford had to hold his breath and was telling himself, not to lose his nerves. The author states this on page 17,“ Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror. I will not lose my nerve. I will not.” Rainsford finally knew what General Zaroff was capable of. Rainsford had to think out of his comfort zone, to end the hunt. This relates to the theme because Zaroff didn’t treat anyone right. Later on, in the end General Zaroff, figures out that he was the animal, and Rainsford was the