He understood that he was admired by the nation, if despaired of by those who had to work him as an ageing surgeon, and mildly disdained and possibly envied by the many other doctors who had done similar things in other POW camps but who sensed, unhappily, that there was something in his character that was not in theirs which had elevated him far above then in the nation's affections.
-- Narrator (Section 1, Chapter 6 paragraph 13)

Importance: Dorrigo is very aware of himself as a public figure. He sometimes hates the level of attention, or at least says he does. His character is such that he feels he has to live up to the expectations of his men during his time as a prisoner, meaning he sacrificed and worked harder than most POW commanders.

They had smoked to keep the dead out of their nostrils, they had joked to keep the dead from preying on their minds...
-- Narrator (Section 1, Chapter 12 paragraph 3)