Relationships are a recurring idea. The author makes a number of remarks about the relationships that he has with others during the book. One of the main points is acknowledging how much interpersonal relations matter. He writes of this as a man. He writes of the camaraderie between himself and the other men as peers, as soldiers slogging it out in the field. He writes of how much it matters to him whether he trusts and likes a senior officer or not. When he does not, it bothers him a great deal; the reverse is also true. Charlie Beckwith also writes about the men who serve under him. He worries about them. He develops affection and cares for them as the norm. He looks out for them as standard practice. He was not faking it to the people who followed him, just as he trusted that the people over him to trust and care for him.