"Three Comrades" by Erich Maria Remarque (1936)

Remarque merely sketches his protagonists. Pat is liked by all, but the reader shall not see why. He must do with the author’s assertion that she is. Bobby is shallow and nice—a valid character, but an imperfect narrator. The novel’s true characters are times, not individuals.

War steals and deceives. It breeds fatalism. Individuals refuse to attempt to change their circumstances, and the lack of change discourages them further. Despair settles in.

War untames humans by awakening the thrills of risk-taking. Without the rule of law, such behaviour is destructive. With the rule of law, such behaviour may promote entrepreneurship. In either case, the shortage of individuals willing to invest at a normal return leads to extreme inequality and myopic policies.

Narratives must be happy. Good opportunities present themselves rarely, and so it is important to illustrate how to take advantage of them. Catastrophes and failures do not instruct.