Non Existent Leadership

The one thing that caught my attention while reading is the lack of competence in leadership that the higher officials on Pianosa have. From the horribly dim witted and self-serving Colonel Cathcart to the drunken and misguided General Dreedle, the reader gets the impression that the author is trying to display a view of distaste for the men who do not care about the lives of those who die serving them.