How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[Louie] began drinking one night when he was eight; he hid under the dinner table, snatched glasses of wine, drank them all dry, staggered outside, and fell into a rosebush. (1.1.13)
We're tempted to look at this two ways: alcoholism starting at an early age, or a kid just getting into trouble. Seeing what a troublemaker Louie is in general, we're settling on the latter interpretation of this event.
Quote #2
In an automat, they discovered German beer. The serving size was a liter, which took Louie a good while to finish. (1.4.29)
Louie wasn't always a boozehound—before the war, he only drinks while he's having fun and playing pranks.
Quote #3
And like everyone else, Louie and Phil drank. After a few beers, Louie said, it was possible to briefly forget dead friends. (2.8.42)
We honestly can't really blame them for drinking at this point, but this reliance on alcohol sets a bad precedent for men who survive the war and still have to remember all their dead friends. How else are they supposed to cope?