Well it was interesting, at least for me. When I was creating character, it seemed to me that despite grimdark theme of the world, most senators seem to go on their business like nothing, just another day in the protection of the Angeloi. Which it is, actually.
Wars in all frontiers? Plague killing piles of population? Murderous
dynatoi and heresy cases? C'est la vie. Sure, they react... it affect's them. They have things to lose, they have motivations, secrets, feelings and goals. But in midst of all, they continue living.
You seem to have taken this adaptation even more far. Characters who are not mere part of the society, but embody it. Not just products, but also mirrors.
Theon was meant to answer this. He is a revenant in sense. A man who was patronized and whose ideals were destroyed, jaded, aloof, awkward, hammered by his guilt and own instincts and feeling of powerlessness, trying grasp dimmest ray of light when world around is evaporating. I wanted to invoke trauma, despair and grief the people in this world must see and experience.
So you see, the duel thing was basically Czoklet waving red flag. If Muzaka let that go, he would betray everything he has become. I find it bit ironic that Colombo, who is symbol of corruption, and Muzaka, token of suffering, are put against each other without any interaction between them. As if it was fated.
Did that make any sense?