Peewee talks a big game, but his grand theories devolve into meaninglessness in part because the book suggests that they’re wrong. Human beings are human beings and while dehumanizing his enemies helps Peewee survive, it also harms him in the process. But it also, yet again, emphasizes the youth of these soldiers, who banter with each other like schoolboys in a locker room. In his letter, Perry tries to cling to his sense of being on the right side, of being a good guy. But his fatigue hints at how much it costs to maintain that narrative, especially now that he recognizes the deep moral ambiguity of the war.