A good example of how it must have been is today's world of conducting, which is still utterly dominated by men, and the prejudice the few female conductors have to battle even today is astounding.
The action carries a sense of incompleteness and frustration, but not of guilt. Victorious living does not mean perfect living in the sense of living without flaw, but it does mean adequate living, and that can be consistent with many mistakes.
I mean, one shot you treat like you have forty little matches instead of one forty shot match. It makes all the difference in the world. It's easier to just forget about a not so good shot.

