What comes over Paul as he lies in the shell hole

Paul feels a sense of remorse.

When the bombardment begins, Paul crawls into a water-filled hole. He pretends to be dead under the muddy water, and holds his knife in case someone comes. The Germans fire back and soon repel the enemy. As Paul hears footsteps around his hole, a body falls in. Paul strikes at the body, and the man convulses and becomes limp. When he gurgles, Paul viciously wants to quiet him by stabbing him and stuffing his mouth with earth, but he soon regains control. Paul wants to leave, but the machine-gunfire makes that impossible. He waits with the gurgling body.

By morning, Paul looks at the man in the hole with him. Paul tries to convince himself the man is dead, but the body moves slightly and opens its eyes at Paul in fear. Paul strokes the man's forehead and scoops up some muddy water for him to drink. Paul cuts the man's shirt with his knife and bandages him. By noon the man is still dying, and Paul is starving. This is the first time Paul has killed a man in hand-to-hand combat, and he suffers along with the dying man. Finally, he dies in the afternoon. Paul props him up and wonders about the man's wife. He thinks about fate; if Paul had crawled back to his trench correctly, the man would still be alive.

Paul speaks to the dead man, apologizing for and justifying his actions, asking for forgiveness. He promises to write his wife, and he finds his wallet in the man's tunic. Inside are small photos of a woman and a little girl and letters in French. Paul knows he will not send them a letter, but he vows to live for the sake of the man and his family. He locates the man's name (Gérard Duval), profession (compositor, or printer), and address, and writes them down.