Painful truth
Ursula is dedicated to the truth. She values it most of all, thus she chooses a career of a war reporter. However, journalism is a difficult path, for more often than not you have to make a decision between the truth and endless pain of other people. Stewart sacrifices his life to save her and Geordie, understanding that there is no way he comes out of that situation alive. When Geordie dies, Ursula becomes the only one survivor who knows the truth about Stewart, Dangermouse, Geordie and Freddie’s decease. Contrary to her editor’s wish, the reporter insists on writing about their real selves, refusing to go along with the official version that states that the four soldiers are flawless heroes who die protecting their country. She wants the world to know the truth, she wants to show that they are not perfect, that some of them are plain criminals. However, Ursula makes an exception for Jeannie. She doesn’t tell the poor widow about her husband’s inner conflicts for the woman and their two children’s sake. The issue shows that truth sometimes is too painful to bear.
War and violence
Notwithstanding the fact that the Barbaric Period ended in the 10th century, we still behave like barbarians. Violence, wars, and organized crime still exist, what is more people still have troubles finding a common language. Freddie is a perfect example of a person whose mind gets poisoned by toxicity of the war. He stops seeing a human being in his enemy, from now on he uses only one language and that is violence. He even tries to rape Ursula and the reason for it is his dissatisfaction and disagreement with her position. According to Freddie, it is easier to kill than to talk. He could be a bad person in the past, but the war manages to turn that bad guy into a monster.
Destructive responsibility
According to Stewart, responsibility should be taken seriously. He is obliged to take care about his unit, keep an eye on them, and ensure that everything is the way it is supposed to be. When something unexpected happens, it is Stewart who fixes the situation. When Sayed dies, Stewart persuades his team to return the money and save the dead man’s wife and child. When he understands that they fall into the trap, he saves Ursula and Geordie. He doesn’t even dare to divorce his wife whom he has never even loved. That combination of dedication and responsibility proves to be destructive for him. One person just can’t make everything right.
