Condemnation of Imperialism in Heart of Darkness Although Conrad did not learn English until the age of twenty-one, he still mastered the language and uses it cleverly in Heart of Darkness. One sentence of his is particularly surprising, as it summarizes the opinions he condemns throughout the story. The accountant, one of the first imperialists Marlow meets, tells him: "When you have to do the math correctly, you come to hate these savages, to hate them to death" (Conrad). This phrase is a perfect example of the typical imperialistic belief that Marlow denounces and serves as a synecdoche for the entire work. An important feature of imperialistic belief is the impersonality that makes imperialism possible. The repetition of the word “one” is significant because it shows that detachment. The imperialists try to ease their consciences by making the natives less than human. Marlow and Kurtz are both exceptions to this ideal, but in contrasting ways. Kurtz uses fear to belittle the natives, but he does not take away their humanity. Marlow, however, believes that t...