Answer: The relationship between Claude and Ralph is complicated for various reasons. Claude, a strong, serious young man, is dedicated to hard work on the family farm. His younger brother, Ralph, is delightful and unworried.
Claude Wheeler’s witty and intelligence are plain, though he himself never recognizes them. His mother and Mahailey, the family housekeeper, love him deeply and know that he is not contented.
He finds his greatest joy when he is with smart and wise people: Ernest Havel, a German immigrant who is Claude’s own age; Mrs. Erlich, a cultured widow with five bright sons; Gladys Farmer, a childhood sweetheart and a high school teacher with a talent in music; Victor Morse, a devil-may-care R.A.F. pilot; David Gerhardt, a violinist turned soldier; and Madame Joubert, a farm woman who provides Claude’s first billet in France. All of them offer moments of happiness in Claude’s restless life. Even so, the author is careful not to make Claude’s death an indictment of war or even to see it as a tragedy for her protagonist. Claude considers his experience noble, and he dies with convictions he thinks worth fighting for. On the other hand Ralph is the favored son. Ralph is able to charm his way out of being in trouble for being late for breakfast and despite the fact that his broken toys often get in the way, the family won't let them be thrown away.
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