How the seemigly small incident described in the story significant truth about life.

WE all hope for the best. We chose cling to ideas that have little fact but give us comfort. Both the old man and the soldier look to ideas of comfort in the face of almost certain devastation. The old man thinks that perhaps some of his animals are safe and the soldier muses about clouds halting the bombing. Perhaps, in this world of relentless chaos, hope is all we have.