He felt as if everything was all his fault, and with no one around to know about it, he left himself cry like a child.
-- Narrator (chapter 1963 paragraph 9)

Importance: This is Bill Houston, who has just shot a monkey. The little creature dies in Bill's arms and he feels remorse for this, but he also feels upset about the situation he's in. He's only 18 years old and he's in a war.

We Vietnamese have two philosophies to sustain us. The Confucian tells us how to behave when fate grants us peace and order. The Buddhist trains us to accept our fate even when it brings us blood and chaos.”
-- A Master Priest (chapter 1964 paragraph 59)

Importance: This priest is talking to Colonel Sands and some others, and it is an important look at the Vietnamese people as a whole. The country is, at this point, involved in a terrible war that is tearing it apart and the priest seems to be...