The green girdle represents his survival and failure. "A man may hide his misdeed, but never erase it." He says it's a code of honor
the type or category of a piece of literature is called it's "genre "
Really well written and definitely gives concrete detail as I can imagine this scene in my mind by just reading it.
The planet Venus is almost exactly the same size and mass AS Earth, with a similar interior, including a nickel-iron core.
