A Storm of Swords

In Westeros, honor is treated as another form of currency among the noble houses. While describing Brienne of Tarth, Loras Tyrell recalls Renly Baratheon’s assessment: “other knights wanted things of him, castles or honors or riches, but all that Brienne wanted was to die for him” (925). This observation illustrates the difference between people who use the trappings of honor to elevate their status and people who stake their lives on what actual honor they have.

The dynamic between Arya Stark and Sandor Clegane underscores that the novel’s world functions primarily on codes of exploitation. In this novel, Arya encounters Sandor just as he is about to be judged for his crimes. To defend himself, Sandor participates in trial by combat, an ordeal that allows him to win his innocence. This frustrates Arya: She sees little justice in the fact that his victory effectively enables him to erase his crimes from the ledger of history. In turn, Sandor kidnaps Arya for profit. He does not want to return Arya to her family because it is the right thing to do, but because doing so will earn him monetary rewards and Robb’s favor. The decision is pragmatic given that Sandor has few prospects after leaving King Joffrey’s employ, but it also means lowering himself from the status of knight to mercenary.