In what ways does this novel condemn war?

Robert believes in the sanctity of living beings and it is this loss of life that drives him to break away from the moral system imposed upon him by the war and the society that supports it. Robert believes all life, human and animal, is worth protecting. This is why he cannot condone his mother's decision to kill Rowena's rabbits. It is what brings him closer to Harris and Rodwell. The two soldiers share his respect for life and the natural world. Rodwell speaks to an interconnectedness between living things in his letter to his daughter. This seems to reflect Findley's own feelings about the need to preserve the natural world.  Soldiers die and towns and nations are torn apart by the battles. Robert tries at first to suppress his own violent feelings and impulses. He relies on his pistol to give him a sense of protection and uses it to restore order during the gas attack when his men panic. War becomes a manifestation of violence and Robert uses violence to exact his own moral justice on Captain Leather and the war itself.