Describe Zaroff's conditions for the hunt in The Most Dangerous Game.

General Zaroff's conditions for the hunt include giving the man he is hunting good food, a hunting knife, and a three hour head start. Having these conditions tells the reader that General Zaroff is not interested as much in the killing of men, but in the hunting of men.  He is excited by the chase so he gives the men an even playing field.  If his sole intent was to kill, without regard for the...

General Zaroff's conditions for the hunt include giving the man he is hunting good food, a hunting knife, and a three hour head start. Having these conditions tells the reader that General Zaroff is not interested as much in the killing of men, but in the hunting of men.  He is excited by the chase so he gives the men an even playing field.  If his sole intent was to kill, without regard for the experience of hunting, he would not give them men means for survival when he sends them on their way.  If the men survive three days, General Zaroff says that he will return them to the mainland, but to date that had not happened.

When Zaroff hunts Rainsford, the conditions change slightly in order to ensure an exhilarating  hunt.  When hunting Rainsford, Zaroff suggests that he wear moccasins to camouflage his footprints and make it harder to be tracked. He even tells Rainsford to avoid certain areas of the island that will make his capture inevitable.  

The purpose of these conditions in the story, and the slight change in conditions when it was time to hunt Rainsford, suggests that Zaroff is more interested in the hunt than in the killing of his quarry.