Catch-22: Chapter 24 Summary & Analysis

Milo continues expanding the reach of his black-market smuggling business, “the syndicate,” explaining to various officers across the Mediterranean that he only needs the use of some of their planes to get tangerines, melons, and other exotic goods. General Dreedle, who enjoys eating Milo’s food, supports this plan, and demotes officers who don’t comply with Milo’s requests.

The syndicate, now termed M & M Enterprises (for “Milo” and “Minderbinder”), begins doing business behind enemy lines; it then uses Axis planes to transport items. Some US Army officials complain that this is consorting with the enemy, but Milo effectively combats them by arguing that he is only doing business, and doing business is the American way. And, he adds, everyone gets a share in the company’s profits.

Milo begins actively supporting German military activities: he orders US planes to bomb a bridge near Orvieto and German guns to shoot at those planes, all for the sake of defending his merchandise. Yossarian argues that this, surely, is treason, but Milo counters that only his business contracts matter, and that upholding them is patriotic and American.

Milo has purchased all the cotton in Egypt, but there is no market for it, and his company verges on collapse. He then orders his planes to bomb the American’s own base on Pianosa, in order to deplete their supplies of material and aid his own business interests. None of the soldiers can believe what’s happening, but Milo wins back the support of the group by repaying them with profits from the cartel, and by arguing that war itself should be privatized—the government should be “cut out”—so that profits can be distributed among the citizens who fight the wars.

Doc Daneeka tends to Yossarian after Milo’s bombing of the group. This reminds Yossarian of the way Doc Daneeka treated him, with great care, after the Snowden incident over Avignon. (Time in this section becomes hard to disentangle—it appears that Milo’s growth of M & M has coincided with the bombings over Avignon, in which Snowden was killed.)

The Avignon bombings, as stated previously, cause Yossarian to undergo a “break,” and he refuses to wear his uniform. He climbs a tree during Snowden’s funeral, out of grief, and Milo climbs up with him to talk to him.

It is revealed that Milo’s simultaneous bombing and defense of the bridge at Orvieto resulted in the death of the “dead man,” Mudd, in Yossarian’s tent. Yossarian argues that Milo is responsible for this, but Milo counters that these deaths are fated, and that he is merely doing business the American way. Only Yossarian seems perturbed by Milo’s willingness to consort with the enemy. He remains in the tree during Snowden’s funeral.

The chaplain sees a naked man in the tree, while performing Snowden’s funeral service, and wonders who it could be. Milo mourns his terrible financial situation—he is overburdened with Egyptian cotton—and vows to fight for his syndicate’s survival.

Yossarian suggests that Milo bribe the US government to buy all this cotton at a low price. But Milo is offended: he claims that bribing is against the law and immoral. With that said, he realizes that “the business of government is business,” meaning it is acceptable to sell private goods to the government. He feels there might be hope for his syndicate after all. As the two leave the tree at the end of the funeral, Milo tells Yossarian to put on some clothes—otherwise soldiers will start going naked, and demand for cotton for uniforms will decrease, hurting Milo’s business.