What was hanging in Leper’s window” What did it signify?

After reading the note from Leper that he has gone A.W.O.L, Gene makes a trip to the hills of Vermont. As Gene gets closer to Leper's house he notices two narrow windows. In one of the windows hangs a star attesting to a son at war. Through the glass of another window stands Leper. The irony is plain to see. Leper is a sad reality of war; he is collateral damage doomed to haunt the periphery of society. Soldiers can never run away from a war. The "pride" that the star symbolizes makes the broken image of Leper tragic.