Question

The following question references the novel The Call of the Thild by Jack London

Answer 1

Answer:

The word "idle" could also be described as "pointless" in the context. It basically means that John Thornton knows it is pointless to come between Hal (the fool) and his "folly" (meaning a lack of good sense), or his decision of making the tired dogs run on thin ice. Thornton probably thinks it is useless to intervene because Hal won't listen to common sense. Hal has already made a number of bad decisions on the trip, including not knowing how to properly ration food for the dogs.