For the first time, some of the story’s major characters have died. Brent and Stuart Tarleton, both of whom were visiting Scarlett when the story opened, are on the casualty list. Before the war started, Brent and Stuart represented the quintessential Southern teenager—athletic, fun-loving, and eager for war. The two were both extremely excited for war, and confident that they’d win, and now they are two of the first personal casualties. As the war claims Scarlett’s old beaus, it fundamentally changes the South as Scarlett sees it.