It’s hard to articulate, but it’s that classing of a worthy foe or something. Like people say “say what you will about x but he does y good” (something said by someone about Rommel by Patton (at least in his movie))in a way that’s meant to sound begrudging but just makes them sound like they want to be them if you get me
Witness it once in a blue moon
When police do good cop/bad cop interrogations, they good cop and bad cop hang out together afterwards.
When governments manipulate you with a good party/bad party electoral circus, the good party and bad party also hang out with each other afterwards.
Of course they respect one another.