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Part 1, Chapter 14
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Wars, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trauma and War
Blame, Revenge, and Justice
Loss of Innocence
Honor, Duty, and Heroism
Summary
Analysis
Robert is pressured by his fellow soldiers to go to a brothel in Lousetown, a hamlet twelve miles from Lethbridge. The brothel, run by a madam named Maria Dreyfus, is colloquially known as Wet Goods, since it sits between a general store that sells “dry goods” and a landfill full of “spoiled goods.” On their way into Wet Goods, Robert is surprised to see Taffler’s horse and dog hitched outside the brothel.
Robert is timid and inexperienced with women, as evidenced by his reaction to the girls on the train platform in Chapter 4 and his confusing relationship with Heather Lawson. His excursion to Wet Goods will likely serve as a coming-of-age experience that challenges his innocence.
Themes
