s more, and
             then I realized that in turning I had begun to lose my balance. There was a moment of
             total, impersonal panic, and then Finny’s hand shot out and grabbed my arm, and with my
             balance restored, the panic immediately disappeared. (24)
             In this instance Finny is able to save Gene from falling out of his world into Gene’s
             “reality.” The idea of Gene understanding that this is really Finny’s world comes at the
             beginning of Chapter Three, “Yes, he had practically saved my life. He had also practically
             lost it for me. I wouldn’t have been on that damn limb except for him.” Here Gene knows
             that his going into Finny’s reality could have completely taken his reality or life away. This
             game appears to be a substitute for the real war more and more as Chapter Three
             progresses. Gene goes on to explain how he and Finny signed up “trainees” on the spot
             and how they initiated them every night (25). This clearly resembles the basic training and
             initiating of real soldiers in the war.
             ...