What Robert’s action exemplifies is that war brings out the worst in people. His involvement in war caused him to develop a soldier instinct that drove him to shot a German soldier whom he thought was reaching for his rifle when the soldier was actually reaching for a binocular. The most heartrending aspect of war’s dehumanizing effect can be observed in one of Robert’s action. The traumatizing experience of the men caused them to practice animal cruelty, and Rodwell, challenged by what his mind could not accept, ended his life instead of becoming a part of them. Such perspective was apparent in the case of Rodwell who was sent to join a group of traumatized men after much exposure to the war. The deaths of soldiers and civilians alike are meaningless, and if one survived a day of war, they are more likely to suffer various horrors associated with it.
The war itself that Ross witnessed firsthand is already dehumanizing in itself because it proves that war is a time of quick decisions where participating groups are perceived as not fully human and that persecution has become an acceptable value because there is no such thing as fair justice when it comes to war. The recurring theme of war’s dehumanizing effects is evident in many aspects of the story.
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