Does make you wonder, doesn't it? I mean why do people toss the shoes onto the line? Why are shoes so often along the side of the road? Are they run-aways?
I remember reading in my photography learning that if you have a bench in the picture you have to show both sets of legs else the bench will look like it should fall over. I think the same applys here that it would have been good to show the laces connecting to the rope.