Imagine finding oneself in a position where he must go against his moral beliefs and principles. This is what happens to the lieutenant in "Another way To Die" by Haruki Murakami. He is forced to acts that go against his moral fiber, which really affects him. There are several clues that lead to this conclusion.
The first thing that becomes apparent is that the lieutenant appears to be talking to himself as he goes about delivering his orders, almost as if he must reconfirm his orders to himself. A good example of this is when he and the doctor arrive at the area where the lieutenant says that they will bivouac. "" First we dig a hole here" he says this as he fishes a cigarette from his [pocket and digs around in the dirt." (1104) The way that Murakami is describing this it is as if the lieutenant is unsure of what he is about to do.
The second indication of what the lieutenant is thinking comes four paragraphs into his discussion with the veterinarian about his hometown. "" I hope you make it back over there," he said. "Of course, there's an ocean between here and Japan. We"ll probably die over here." He kept his eyes on the ground as he spoke." (1105) This tells us that the lieutenant is worried about his own mortality. The fact that his eyes remained on the ground the whole time that he speaks tells the reader that whatever is on his at the time is weighing him down.
The third sign as to how the lieutenant is feeling comes when it is time for his soldiers to kill three of the four remaining Chinese soldiers. He must have them bayoneted to death, because he is told not to waste bullets on the Chinese. One can tell what the lieutenant's feeling are as he explains what must be done, ""You can train all you want, but finally what you"re stabbing is a straw doll, not a live human being. It doesn't bleed or scream or spill its guts on the ground. These soldiers have never actually killed a human being that way.