Dehumanization and Brutality

Stories of German atrocities, such as the crucifixion of a sergeant and the assault on a French family, are used to illustrate the enemy's inhumanity and to fuel the soldiers' will to fight.

The casual treatment of dead bodies, the use of tear gas, and the self-inflicted wound of Issy Epstein illustrate the dehumanizing and brutal conditions faced by soldiers.

Prisoners are searched, stripped of suspenders and belts, and marched under fire; seven are killed by shrapnel, highlighting the callousness of war.

The German officer's treacherous attack and the narrator's reflection on war-worn boys touched with cruelty underscore the dehumanizing effects of combat.

The narrator's fetish worship of his mascot and the sheer brutality of the attack illustrate the dehumanizing stress of war.