The "Silent" Walk of Shame

From Google Images

In this shot, Neff and Mrs. Dietrichson just murdered Mr. Dietrichson. Mrs. Dietrichson feels no regrets and seems satisfied with her actions. On the other hand, Neff seems guilty and ashamed for what he did. In this scene, he specifically says, "Suddenly it came over me that everything would go wrong. It sounds crazy, Keyes, but it's true, so help me. I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man" (IMDB). This is where he is still confessing to Keyes, and he reflects on his actions. When he says that, "everything would go wrong," it seems like he has some sense of doubt and a lack of confidence that this murder will go through. In the end, it is true that Keyes successfully figured out the case. It's also interesting how Neff says "I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man." We know that Neff and Mrs. Dietrichson both murdered Mr. Dietrichson. Yet, Neff is the one who feels like the dead man. In a way, this seems like the walk of shame. Because his surroundings are muted, this murder is the only thing that is in his mind.
It's also essential to point out the darkness of this frame. It looks like 80% of this shot is dark, while the other 20% contains little light which is focused in the middle of the frame. It's also important to point out the emptiness of the shot. The only thing that seems to be mobile in this shot is Neff himself. The side walk is empty and there is nothing going on in the house nearby. This choice really catches the essence of loneliness and dark secrets. This is also a medium long shot, where we can see Neff from the knees up. The director might have made this choice because he wanted to catch the distance of the long, empty side walk that is ahead of Neff.