P.124 how is possible for a person to center "the gaze of his soul"? What do these carefully selected words tell you about the youth and the situation?

From the text:

The youth had centered the gaze of his soul upon that other flag. Its possession would be high pride.

From this we can infer that the youth's desires are centered around capturing the enemies flag, a daring and dangerous desire, but one that would afford him pride and honor.