Quote 7
Chris: We've made a terrible mistake with Mother… being dishonest with her. That kind of thing always pays off, and now it's paying off
Keller: What do you mean, dishonest?
Chris: You know Larry's not coming back and I know it. (1.167-69)
A small foreshadowing of the moral positions of both Joe and Chris here. Chris acknowledges a reality but does nothing to address it; Joe pretends it doesn't exist.
Quote 8
Chris: Everything was being destroyed, se but it seemed to me that one new thing was made. A kind of… responsibility. Man for man. You understand me? – To show that, to bring that on to the earth again like some kind of monument and everyone would feel it standing there, behind him, and it would make a difference to him. (1.541)
Before Chris can give himself fully to Ann, he needs her to understand the conflict he feels between the idealism of the war and the practicality of daily life back home.
Quote 9
Chris: You killed them, you murdered them
Keller: How could I kill anybody? (2.533-4)
Joe can't identify himself as a murderer, and truly doesn't understand why Chris sees it this way.