When a nation expands into a new territory, they are asserting dominance over the group which inhabits it. In order to expand they typically must kill or flaunt some sort of power in order to get their way. They begin to define the other group as savage or uncivilized and therefore must help them become proper humans, or kill them, whichever is more convenient. This outlook puts an enormous divide between the two groups and severely dehumanizes the subordinates.
In both The Secret Sharer and The Heart of Darkness, the British are inherently the dominant force in the world. London is described as the greatest city in the world and whenever a British person encounters anyone it is made clear who is superior. In the case of the captain in The Secret Sharer, his only equal relationship is with Leggatt (assuming he is a real person) because they are extremely similar and/or in love. The number of binaries in both stories is astronomical due to the imbalance of power throughout the stories.
I really like your post exploring the all the binaries that imperialism both emphasizes and brings to light. I like your allusion to the city of London playing into the more powerful part/"master" of the binary, with anyone who is not from London fulfilling the "lesser role".
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