Paul, like many others learned to view his generation as one, and see the similarities amongst the people. It is through war that we can learn to recognize universal similarities.
Also, we can learn a very powerful thing from war; the strength of love, friendship, and camaraderie. Often times a strong relationship can drive a person to perform at a higher standard. Anyone might rely on this strength to thrive in everyday life, or perhaps to escape death. For example, when Paul is behind enemy lines alone wishing his comrades were there, he hears some footsteps and crouches, but soon realizes it is Kat, his friend, with the muffled voice. He sits a second longer while explaining what he is feeling: "At once a new warmth flows through me. These voices, these quiet words, these footsteps in the trench behind me recall me at a bound from the terrible loneliness and fear of death by which I had been almost destroyed"(212). Here we see how the war has stripped Paul's knowledge of survival. The constant fear of death and foreign cries were causing him despair. However, the simple voices of Paul's comrades had the ability to over power all that had overcome him. The fear and despair that caused Paul to the brink of insanity held no mach to the minor voices of his comrades. .
Another example of the strength of love, friendship and camaraderie is when Paul is by himself and dwelling upon his thoughts. He decides that one of the most important things the war has taught him so far is: "But by far the most important result was that it awakened in us a strong, practical sense of es prit de corps, which in the field developed into the finest thing that arose out of the war, comradeship"(26). Maneuver and fire, the sound of bombs, and discipline are all war tactics that most soldiers learn in order to stay alive. However the continuous battering from battles, and the separation from society causes the value of life to decline.
