What impact does the war have on the characters of the novel?

Gene is finally back at school, without Finny who will come back later in the term; the peace of the summer session has finally been shattered by the return of the rigorous traditions of the Devon school, and the influence of the war on the students and faculty.

Five of the younger teachers were missing gone into the war. Mr Pike had come in his Naval ensigns uniform; some reflex must have survived Midshipman’s School and brought him back to Devon for the day His face was as mild and hopeless as ever; mooning above the snappy, rigid blouse, it gave him the air of an impostor.

The war puts a Devon and life into a different context. Fighting in the war becomes a right of passage for many of the boys. The boys grapple with the mythology of war as being both romantic and deadly. The war threatens to change the school experience and the connections the boys have with each other. Leper's desertion puts the war in context for Gene.