Leper tells Gene, “You always were a savage underneath.” How valid is that analysis of Gene? Give specific examples.

In chapter 10, Leper begins his visit with Gene by insulting him and saying he was always a savage underneath. In context, his comment can be seen as an example of irony, as it is in this chapter that Leper's dark side comes to light. In accusing Gene, Leper reveals his own weaknesses and brutality. Prior to the war, Leper could be seen as a symbol of innocence, he enjoyed his own activities, followed his own desires..... he just moved along with the flow. Military service served to change him, participation in the war stripped away his innocence and created a monster that wouldn't or couldn't go away, leaving him mentally unstable.... fragile. Leper appalled by his own condition, directs his anger at Gene, and he even goes so far as to say, “‘you’re thinking I’m not normal, aren’t you? I can see what you’re thinking—I see a lot I never saw before’ –his voice fell to a querulous whisper—‘you’re thinking I’m going psycho’” (Page 143).