As is often the case with novels of war, one of the primary themes of Novel Without a Name is how war strips young soldiers of their innocence and ability to feel. Quan and his fellow soldiers enlist as soon as they are able, marching off to war with an enthusiasm that matches their youth. Years in the jungle wear them down. Quan is described by the end of the novel as graying at the temples, despite being only 29 years old. He meets other characters who have either aged prematurely–such as the guard at Zone K, who has had dysentery for years–or who are completely ravaged by the war, like Bien.

A significant side effect of being forced through conflict into maturity at a young age is that most of the soldiers have no particularly strong reaction to violence and death. They frequently come across skeletons and corpses–some of which show signs of mutilation–and treat the occurrence as just a regular part of life. When a tiger kills a soldier in Bien’s Special Unit, his platoon-mates simple deal with the problem and carry on with their work. Quan finds sleeping in a coffin strangely apt for the situation he finds himself in.