The unusual custom in the society of Frank R. Stockton's The Lady or the Tiger? is the arbitrary legal system referenced in the title. When someone in this society commits a crime, their trial consists of picking between two soundproofed, identical doors. Behind one of the doors, there is a woman chosen specifically by the king to suit the accused, and behind the other door there is a starving tiger. If the accused chooses the door with the woman behind it, he is declared innocent and must marry the woman immediately. If he chooses the door with the tiger, he is declared guilty and killed by the tiger. The system is entirely based on chance, with the guilt of the accused determined randomly.
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