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In a flashback to before the war, Tim O'Brien recounts the time when he was drafted, and ended up staying with an old Lodge Owner named Elroy Berdahl. Berdahl offered to help O'Brien escape to Canada, however O'Brien never ended up going. This introduces a major theme of the text, that fear of dishonor is greater than a fear of death.
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Jimmy's infatuation with a picture of his friend Martha adds humanity to his character, showing that while he may hold a position of leadership, he is still just a kid in love.
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After the death of Lavender, a soldier under Jimmy Cross' command, Cross blamed himself heavily. During his grieving he realized that he and Martha lived in two different worlds, and that Lavender had died because he loved Martha more than his men. This causes Cross to burn his mementos of Martha, where he swears to always prioritize his soldiers from then on. The rain in this scene signifies intense grief.
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Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen get into a fistfight where Jensen Breaks Strunk's nose. His fear that Strunk may try and retaliate becomes so much for him to bear that he breaks his own nose in apology to Strunk. This showcases how a soldiers experiences can cause mental breakdowns and trauma reactions, which is a theme revisited later in the text.
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Lieutenant Cross' introspection and emphasis on the weight of the items carried by each soldier suggests that the sentimental items they carry, such as pictures of loved ones are the reason they can withstand it.
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The secluded environment the mountain provides in addition to how surreal the jungle was causes soldiers to have collective mental breakdowns, imagining they hear the Vietcong having parties on the other side of the mountain. This causes them to call in napalm and airstrikes to the other side of the mountain. This is a second example of the theme that a soldiers experiences can trigger paranoia and mental breakdowns in war.
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Medic Mark Fossie flew his girlfriend into Vietnam from America so that they could spend time together. During her stay, Mary gradually became more interested in war and the responsibilities of soldiers. Eventually, she broke up with Mark Fossie and became a Green Beret soldier with a lust for danger. This serves to add to the theme that war changes people.
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At first Rat, the platoon's medic, became paranoid that mutant bugs were after him. Then he kept picturing him and others in his platoon dead, with bugs eating their corpses. Eventually Rat hit a breaking point and shot himself in the foot in order to be flown off to Japan. This serves as another example of the theme of experiences in war causing mental breakdowns and illnesses in soldiers.
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After killing a Vietcong Soldier with a grenade, Tim becomes frightened at how easily and thoughtlessly he killed that soldier. He begins to think about the type of life the soldier might have lived, his reasons for joining the war, and how they may have been similar to each other. This event serves to contrast Tim's personality before the war, being studious and gifted person, now a battle hardened killer.
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Author Tim O'Brien confesses that when he killed the Vietcong, he never looked at the body, instead he averted his gaze trying not to think about it. O'Brien reveals that his stories allow him to look at things he never looked at, it allows him to be brave and face his realities as they are. This is significant because it is O'Brien's Exigence.