'It doesn't matter who he was. What did matter was that our family had had its head chopped off. The head of the family from which we took our name, the father who made us what we were.
After the Lieutenant had to leave us Captain Deladrier invited Sergeant Jelal to eat forward, with the other heads of departments. But he begged to be excused. Have you ever seen a widow with stern character keep her family together by behaving as if the head of the family had simply stepped out and would return at any moment? That's what Jelly did. He was just a touch more strict with us than ever and if he ever had to say: "The Lieutenant wouldn't like that," it was almost more than a man could take. Jelly didn't say it very often' (Heinlein 145).
The main reason why I choose this passage is because it shows how the military unit of which the main character is a part of is like the family he never had. Unlike his real family, his outfit in the military seems to much closer, caring both about the individual and the unit as a whole. I also chose this passage because it sets the stage for the second part of the book, the main character choosing to accept the military as his new life.
My first question about this passage is: How important is rank in this futuristic military?
Another question about the plot is: Is 'Jelly', the former Sergeant, capable of filling the shoes of the Lieutenant?
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