Concrete and Clay

People are "set in their ways."

Given the context of not competing, the phrase probably means you just sit and do nothing.

thanx so much for your help.

it's from the short story "harrison bergeron"..maybe that could help, the context, I mean...
ciaoo
Milena

From "Welcome to the Monkey House": Hazel says to George "You just set around." Proper English would be 'sit around', but 'set around' is frequently heard, in certain accents or as dialect. Both Hazel and George use somewhat sloppy English in their dialog.