Defeat only occurs if circumstances paralyze, decreeing the end of a trajectory. This is also true of death: it often triggers a progression that cancels out its effects, a progression that is perhaps only possible thanks to death itself. So, in short, as long as the means of response are not exhausted, one has not succumbed; and when they appear to be exhausted, victory is still possible—provided, of course, that one has prepared for it.