What are the motifs in My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier?

The Morality of War is a recurring idea in the story. At the beginning of the novel, religious morality is central to Tim's view of the world. He has been taught that honor and obedience are important and sloth, greed and pride are sins. His concerns over Sam and his father center on this idea of morality. He is worried that God will punish Sam for disobeying their father, and he uses these teachings as a guide for his own behavior. The community itself is governed by ideas about cordiality and morality. The neighbors on both sides are polite to each other, no matter which side they are on.