"WAR SHATTERED THEIR HOME BUT NOT THE SPIRITS". COMMENT

Nicola and Jacopo appear to be exemplary characters.  They lived a comfortable and cultured life along with their family before war but later became orphans with the death of their father. When the came to know that their sister is suffering from tuberculosis of spine,they took fatherly responsibility of their sister. They worked day in and day out at such a tender age because of extreme love for their sister. War shattered their home but it could not deter their spirit. The narrator justifies this by portraying these boys as exemplary figures with a sense of maturity, gentlemen-like qualities, humility, devotion and determination to work hard. The story hardly arouses sympathy for the boys. Rather, it reflects their determined spirit to fight against all odds.