How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"Not too bad. Woman with a growth upon the stomach. She'll be better with it out. Give her a few more years of useful life, anyway." (7.78)
Looks like Dwight isn't the only person who clings to a deluded sense of duty. Just check this one out: this quote comes from a doctor talking about the long-term benefits of surgery, despite the fact that his patient will be dead long before those benefits are realized.
Quote #5
"I wouldn't want to do a thing like that [...] In the States—yes. But when you're in a foreign country, I think a fellow should stick by the rules." (7.174)
Give us a break, Dwight—you'd be sticking to the rules like white on rice no matter where you were. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. By hewing so closely to the rules, Dwight is able to keep his mind off the depressing fate of his homeland and retain his sanity.
Quote #6
"You know the way it is. I've got a wife at home I love, and I've played straight with her the two years that I've been away. I wouldn't want to spoil that now, these few last days." (8.89)
So what do you think about this? Do you think that it's delusional for Dwight to act as if his family were alive and well? Or do you think that it's an idealistic notion that represents his powerful sense of duty toward the people he loves? If you're asking us (and you'd better be, punks…just kidding), the truth of the situation lands somewhere between these differing viewpoints.