As he continues to follow Prince Bagration through the battlefield, Prince Andrei gets closer to the chaos of direct fighting. Bagration’s willingness to join his soldiers on their ground, even if it’s a superficial gesture, succeeds in rousing them. Even though Andrei is moved, too, Tolstoy isn’t necessarily praising the soldiers’ bravado; he subtly critiques the way idealizing a hero can move people to give up their lives.