Summary

In Chapter 13, Lev and Kolya trudged through the freezing forest. They hurried because the sun would soon set. Kolya criticized that the Germans often did not give people a way to survive. Even if the people surrendered, they killed them. He said that historically, “the best conquerors always gave their enemies a way out” (114). Then they passed by a Russian soldier’s frozen corpse, and Kolya took his rifle. Then Kolya admitted that he thought they had been traveling in the wrong direction and that they were not headed toward Mga. Lev was angry at Kolya and worried that they would freeze, but then they passed by a house. Kolya thought they should stay away from it, thinking that either Germans or Russians on the German side would be in it. But Lev insisted that they go into the house instead of freezing...