They sever the heads of their friends and place them right in front, and then ask strangers whose oath they should swear.

This couplet is a sharp, biting satire on betrayal and sheer hypocrisy. The poet paints a chilling picture of someone who ruthlessly destroys their closest companions, only to turn around and ask strangers whose life they should swear upon to prove their honesty. It captures the painful irony of people who eliminate their own well-wishers and then put on a dramatic show of innocence before the rest of the world.