Epigraphs are like little appetizers to the great entrée of a story. They illuminate important aspects of the story, and they get us headed in the right direction.
"I do not like being moved: for the will is
excited; and action
Is a most dangerous thing; I tremble for
something factitious,
Some malpractice of heart and illegitimate
process;
We're so prone to these things, with our
terrible notions of duty."
- A. H. Clough
"This is the patent age of new inventions
For killing bodies, and for saving souls,
All propagated with the best intentions."
- Byron
Recognize anyone in these quotations?
The first hints at Fowler's general disposition: an inclination to be unmoved and avoid responsibility for anything serious. It comes from the poem "Amours de Voyage" by Arthur Hugh Clough, a poet who had seen the devastation of war during his travels.
The second, from Lord Byron's Don Juan, is the sort of thing Fowler might quote when talking about Pyle: someone whose good intentions result in bloodshed, "killing bodies."
Notice that both quotations allude to Fowler first and foremost. Yes, Pyle has the "best intentions," but this judgment belongs to Fowler. Since Fowler is the narrator the story, it makes sense that both quotes in the epigraph fit with his character.