In any war, some men will, and must have power over others, and it is this power that brings control and organization to the event of things. But, as it is often said, with power comes responsibility, but this responsibility can be too great for some men, and eventually, they are bound to give in to the allure of their own corruption. “The army is based on that; one man must always have power over another. The mischief is merely that each one has too much power. A non-com can torment a private, a lieutenant a non-com, a captain a lieutenant, until he goes mad. And because they know they can, they all soon acquire the habit more or less.” (AQWF) In this case, Himmelstoss, a man of fair enough power, grows on the opportunity to enforce his will on those lesser than him. The protagonist sees it as inevitable for him to torment others, as it would be for any man like him who has acquired power. In one incident, to punish and attempt to “fix” a bed wetter named Tjaden, the private
In any war, some men will, and must have power over others, and it is this power that brings control and organization to the event of things. But, as it is often said, with power comes responsibility, but this responsibility can be too great for some men, and eventually, they are bound to give in to the allure of their own corruption. “The army is based on that; one man must always have power over another. The mischief is merely that each one has too much power. A non-com can torment a private, a lieutenant a non-com, a captain a lieutenant, until he goes mad. And because they know they can, they all soon acquire the habit more or less.” (AQWF) In this case, Himmelstoss, a man of fair enough power, grows on the opportunity to enforce his will on those lesser than him. The protagonist sees it as inevitable for him to torment others, as it would be for any man like him who has acquired power. In one incident, to punish and attempt to “fix” a bed wetter named Tjaden, the private