The dog operates on instinct and is aware of the circumstances necessary for survival and protecting itself. On the other hand, the man operates on poor judgment by disregarding all the advice he receives from experienced travelers. The man only sees things as they are and cannot see what they can develop into and their consequences, putting him at a huge disadvantage by not being able to separate important things from non-important things. When the struggle for survival finally becomes clear to the man he realizes "that is was a matter of life and death with the chances against him." He constantly thinks that soon he will be stiff and dead but he tries to keep this thought in the "background and refuses to consider" the consequences from his decisions. Unfortunately, when the man comes to his senses, realizing the mistakes he made, it is too late. .
The man's survival relies on the relationship he has with his only traveling companion, the dog. However, the lack of a close bond or intimacy between the dog and the man consequently leads to the man's death as well. The dog is "not concerned in the welfare for the man," never expressing any apprehension to warn the man. The dog had never received any affection from the man; it was the "toil slave of the other and the only caresses it had ever received were caresses of the whip lash and of harsh and menacing throat sounds that threatened the whip lash." The dog associates the man's actions and rugged voice with fear, expecting a harsh punishment if it behaves reluctantly toward the man. At one point in the story, the man considers killing the dog to provide warmth for his hands, but is obstructed by numb fingers and unable to capture the dog. This incident is ironic since the man's previous behavior with the dog causes it to fear the man and stay away when the he was calling for it. Perhaps the dog heard the fear in the man's voice that "frightened the animal, who had never known the man to speak in such a way before.