Chapter 8: Old China Summary and Analysis

Wolff met Pete Landon when he was in language school. Landon admired Wolff for being a tough young soldier and Wolff didn't mind playing that role for him. He was a foreign service officer who was educated at Harvard and was fluent in several languages. Landon arrived in Vietnam before Wolff. When Wolff was dispatched he spent some time with Landon in Saigon. He lived in a villa with four other civilians who were all erudite and upper class like Landon. After dinner and drink and an intellectual discussion about literature, they decided to go to a bar. They got quite drunk and after they returned, Wolff and Landon stayed up while the others crashed. Landon treated Wolff like a little brother, tempting him with cupcakes and other sweets. He kept inferring that he could be better...