Another part of chapter three that stood out was how dark it was as the captured Americans were suffering through the drudgery of their punishment as prisoners of war. With Wild Bob dying and suffering through pneumonia and Weary no longer showing off or bullying, everyone's demeanor had changed to one of fear and sadness. The image of Billy Pilgrim hobbling up and down on the long journey the Germans were forcing them all to go through was a depressing story. Vonnegut painted a clear, grey picture of all these Americans slowly moving towards their demise. Readers could feel the emotions of the American soldiers, and Vonnegut allowed them to sympathize with them.
As they continued into the train, where they barely had any food to eat or water to drink, the same old, depressing story continued. At one point the train was even in the same spot for two consecutive days. It was obvious that everyone was suffering in this situation except for the hobo that Billy had become acquainted with who said this situation "...ain't so bad," (68). However, the part that seemed the most depressing for Billy was the end when it foreshadowed even more worse events for the main character. So it goes.
I feel like the way the hobo said "ain't so bad" also connected with the fact the soldiers needed hope. They hadn't seen their families in forever, nor have they really seen anything in a long time. The hobo's words allowed the soldiers to realize there are worse things out there. They were given the hope that they would return home to their families and see a better life. The hobo's death resembled what could happen to them rather than returning home to their families. Therefore, they are given hope to survive in the war.
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