In Tenet, Neil and the Protagonist had this conversation when they were discussing how to infiltrate Sanjay Singh's house in Mumbai:
Neil: Would you take a child hostage?
Protagonist: [Shakes head]
Neil: A woman?
Protagonist: If I had to. I'm not looking to make much noise here.
Since Neil did not pursue the matter any further, I was wondering why Neil asked about it in the first place. When they infiltrated Sanjay Singh's house, there was no hostage-taking involved.
Near the film's end, we learn that Neil had actually known the Protagonist for years prior to their meeting in Mumbai. (Neil: "Years ago for me. Years from now for you.") Because of that, I thought that Neil asking the question is not about infiltrating Sanjay Singh's house, but because he wants to know more about the Protagonist's character. I was thinking that it might be about how the Protagonist will treat (or have treated) Kat (a woman) and Max (a child), but the idea of the Protagonist or Tenet possibly taking them hostages wasn't mentioned or hinted at in the film.
Why did Neil ask the Protagonist if he would take a child or a woman hostage? Does this have significance other than brainstorming ideas on how to infiltrate Sanjay Singh's house?