How we cite our quotes: (Volume.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Never before in the history of the world had such a mass of human beings moved and suffered together. (1.17.1)
When we think of war, we might think primarily of soldiers. But in The War of the Worlds, the war is primarily one of refugees. While the British military tries to stop the Martians, most of the book is taken up by the stories of one or other refugees who are fleeing the Martians, not trying to fight them.
Quote #8
For a time I believed that mankind had been swept out of existence, and that I stood there alone, the last man left alive. (2.6.11)
The narrator isn't the last man left alive, but we can see why he might feel that way. The Martians simply aren't obeying the rules of war that human armies fight by. Whereas human armies tend not to kill everyone, the Martians are under no such limitation.
Quote #9
"This isn't a war," said the artilleryman. "It never was a war, any more than there's war between man and ants." (2.7.32)
This is actually the second time the artilleryman says something like this. (The first time is when he notes that the human armies are fighting with "bows and arrows against the lightning" [1.12.31].) But this is perhaps the clearest expression of the idea that the War of the Worlds is an asymmetric war. One side thinks they're fighting a war, while the other thinks they're doing pest control before moving in. (The fact that this is an animal comparison isn't accidental. For more on the repeated use of animals, see "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory.")