"The Interlopers,"" by Saki, is a fascinating character study of two long time enemies who go through a crisis together and become friends before fate intervenes. That fate, in the form of wolves that arrive at the end of the story and presumably devour the two immobilized men, adds a macabre, ironic twist to the story end. It also allows the reader to pose the question, "What would have happened subsequently in the two characters' lives if the wolves hadn't arrived? If the wolves had not arrived at the end of "The Interlopers," Ulrich and Georg would not have followed through on their friendship. This assertion is clear because of the longtime and intense nature of their feud, the bitterness of their hatred as the story unfolds, and the basic personalities of the two antagonists.
The exposition of the story makes it clear that the feud between the two men has been bitter and long-term. The originating lawsuit had occurred two generations back, and since then "a long series of poaching affrays and similar scandals had embittered the relationship between the two families. In addition, the recounting of the history clarifies that "the neighbor feud had grown into a personal one. It's clear that Ulrich and Georg detest each other and have done so all their lives. That type of gut level and life-long feeling doesn't dissipate quickly, so it's unrealistic to expect a short time lying under a tree together would cause the change they seem to be headed for in the story. .
The depth of their hatred is also demonstrated in the present of the story when they find themselves suddenly pinned under the fallen branches together. As soon as they find they are alive and both in the same predicament, their immediate reaction is to begin insulting and threatening each other. Georg plots Ulrich's death when he says that when his men arrive first and pull him from under the tree, "it won't need much clumsiness on their part to roll this mass of trunk right over on top of you.
