A Separate Piece

When Brinker and Gene returned from cleaning at the railroad yard, they had made the decision to enlist in the war together. His clear memory, after fifteen years, of the events that took place with these friends, showed how much these boys not only meant to him then, but also how much they shaped the man he had become. There were not many occasions when they show much friendship toward one another. When Finny finally realized that Gene betrayed him, he began to run and he fell down a flight of stairs and broke his leg again. This probably gave Gene insight into what war really was all about. ” When Gene went he realized that Leper was Away With Out Leave and the war had caused him to go insane. Leper’s enlistment made the concept of the war easier for Gene to cope with.

The friendship between Gene and Leper was probably the least significant relationship for Gene of all. Brinker was jealous over the quick bonding between Gene and Finny, so Brinker looked for a to revenge Gene by having a trial and forcing Finny to see that Gene really did cause him to fall.

Leper gained the respect of Gene and the others, when he enlisted with the ski troopers. Gene received a letter from Leper telling him to come and visit him because he had “escaped.

The main part Leper played in the story, however, was his testimony at the trial Brinker set up. Gene didn’t have any strong feelings about Leper except to feel a little sorry for him, because Leper didn’t have a very outgoing personality and, at times, seemed a little weird. Finny had just returned from his recuperation and didn’t want his best friend Gene to leave him. However, when they ended up on the same clean-up squad at the railroad yard, they began to talk quite a bit.