Chapters 1, 2 & 3 Summary

Major Victor Joppolo arrives in Adano with Sergeant Leonard Borth. Borth's job is to determine which Italians in Adano will be helpful and which ones are dangerous; he sees the war itself as a cynical joke and feels it is his job to make people take themselves less seriously. He teases Joppolo constantly, but finds Joppolo's seriousness hard to penetrate.

Borth and Joppolo walk through town and it is immediately clear that Joppolo sees the townspeople as friends and the war as a shame. They walk into the large Palazzo di Citta, which is the government headquarters and where Joppolo will have his office to conduct business. Joppolo writes his name and title on the door outside the building. Despite the complete poverty surrounding the building, inside the palace is a stiflingly rich scenario with opulent furniture, materials and paintings. They notice files...