"This book must be neither an accusation nor a confession, much less an adventure, for death is no adventure for those who find themselves face to face with it I will simply try to tell the story of a generation of men who, even if they escaped the bombings, were destroyed by the war." This opening paragraph is a simple and poetic version of the main theme of All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Nota. The point of the story is to show that war is not romantic, glorious, or fantastic. In fact, those words couldn't be further from the truth. War is a disgusting competition of human instinct, fought by the wrong people. Brings out the worst in everyone; it destroys their compassion, honesty and ideals. The opening chapters of All Quiet on the Western Front are dedicated to showing that war hardens soldiers against true emotions. Their first priority is survival, second is comfort, followed by profit. In the first chapter, the narrator, Paul Baumer, and his troop have just returned from the front lines after suffering heavy casualties. He is happy because his troop, the Second Company, was served double rations due to losses. He and his friends laugh and eat, feeling privileged. They are not at all discouraged by the fact that the excess food was given to them by 70 fallen comrades. When the cook learns of the losses, he is shocked, but not because of the deaths; he is amazed that he has prepared almost double the amount of food needed. The soldiers' disconnect manifests itself in a more personal way when Paul and his friends, Muller and Kropp, go to visit a fellow soldier named Franz Kemmerich who is hospitalized with a leg wound. They realize he won't leave the hospital alive, but they're not too worried. In fact, their thoughts revolve more around Kemmerich's well-crafted boots and who will inherit them once he passes. It's not that they don't care about their friend; it's simply that they have learned to push away sadness and other emotions. They need to focus on their own lives before mourning the loss of others. Kropp received a letter from his school teacher, Kantorek. His letter refers to Kropp, Paul and all the other boys their age as the "Iron Youth"..