It’s obvious the boy is putting on a brave face, the confident swagger of an adult. As if war was a fun game he’d learned to play. Achilles imagines it’s easier than trying to understand a vicious, senseless reality. Gavroche’s attitude is so different from Scout or Stab—he’s increasingly curious to know more about the other two boys.

“I’m sorry you lost your mother and that you died before you were grown. You are a courageous, clever lad.” Achilles twists the shell bracelet on his wrist with a series of soft clicks. “What would you have done if you had survived the war … like Lamb did? What kind of man would you have liked to be?”