>>24873184 (OP)
duels in the old days were less about killing than about proving you would die/kill for honor; the unspoken agreement was that neither party would genuinely shoot to kill. most times, both would intentionally miss, and that way both parties walked away with their honor preserved -- the aggrieved party who demanded the duel would get to say that they were willing to kill for honor, the aggressor party would get to say that they were willing to die for their honor, vice versa, etc. the famous duels we remember, we remember because one party violated this unspoken contract -- this usually made them pariahs in their social circle/community. in your OP image, Burr was charged with murder, fled to Georgia, but the charges were dropped by Burr's buddies after intense pressure from Burr, which ended their friendship. newspapers across the country vilified him and his political career essentially ended immediately. he was allowed to finish his VP term with the understanding that he would never enter politics again. federalists treated him as a murderer, and his former allies basically abandoned him. for the rest of his life, Burr was seen at best as an ungentlemanly scoundrel and at worst a complete monster
