1. At first, Chas is terrified by the dead pilot and the machine gun; however, this fear quickly turns into a craving to own the gun. What does he hope to achieve by having it?

2. In what ways and for what reasons do children mature more rapidly during times of war?

3. Cemetery Jones has a classmate in an embalming course who casually eats lunch while leaning against a corpse. Similarly, Chas's Uncle George eats lunch right after retrieving bodies from the debris on Saville Street. What do these events reveal about human behavior?

4. Why is it so significant for Mrs. McGill to have chrysanthemums during Christmas?

5. When the police visit Chas's home to investigate Clogger's disappearance, Chas feels his father makes it easy for him to lie. What motivates his father to do this?

6. Why does Mrs. McGill focus her anxieties on the possibility of Mr. McGill getting hurt or killed while wearing dirty underwear?

7. What prompts Chas to suddenly despise everyone approaching the fortress in the novel's final chapter?

8. Early in the story, Chas shouts phrases like "Nazi pigs!" and "Get the bastards, kill the bastards!" How does he feel by the conclusion of the story?

9. When the boys initially explore Nicky's garden, they ask about the unnamed wooden cross. Why is it so challenging for them to face Nicky when he explains, "That's for my father"?

10. Why do Chas and Clogger wear helmets labeled Caparetto while they are in the Crow's Nest?

11. Why does Chas feel awful when his father offers to construct a tripod?