Ellwood and Gaunt stare at each other, with Ellwood still barely able to grasp that Gaunt is real. Gaunt tries to make light conversation, but his words only seem to annoy and anger Ellwood. Ellwood finds himself tracing and retracing the same line on his paper as Gaunt talks, finding “nothing” inside him, “only paralysing rage” (324).

Ellwood interrupts Gaunt to ask if he wants to see his wounded face and then takes off his bandages even when Gaunt hesitates. He thinks of how hideous he looks and how his wound continues to fester, largely because he refuses to stop touching it at night. Gaunt responds by telling Ellwood that he won’t be allowed to return to the front, as his lung did not heal properly.

Ellwood shocks himself by confessing that he feels like a “coward” sitting in a hospital bed. He is embarrassed that the others are still on the front while he stays in “luxury.” However, to his surprise, Gaunt says that he knows exactly what Ellwood means. When Gaunt was told that he wouldn’t be returning, he “was giddy with joy” but also immediately “ashamed” of himself (326).