What is the exposition? "the minister black veil".

It's timed! overpopulation can affect the natural environment • limiting land available for crops.• lowering the standard of living.• causing the destruction of forests.• worsening sanitation in cities.

What is the narrators main conflict in this passage

London includes a quote about john thornton as he is observing hal attempt to motivate the exhausted dogs "it was idle, he knew, to get between a fool and his folly". if the word "idle" is defined as "of no real worth, importance, or significance", what does this statement mean with regard to hal? who is the fool? what is hal's folly? why would john thornton think it of no real worth or useless to intervene?