Chapter 7 was a reminder to the soldiers that they are still humans. Humans that they feel adventure and curiousity such as Paul going with his friends across the river to meet some french girls which symbolized adventure and curiosity as Paul still has a sense of seeing and doing new things for the thrill of it rather than not caring anymore. Chapter 7 also shows soldiers are still human because they love and what made this stand out more than anything was how he told his dad war stories when his dad was upset about his mother's cancer as Paul throughout the chapter said he hated talking about it but he did just for his dad that he loves.
Chapter 8 also went with this theme that soldiers are people too considering Paul giving some of his poatato pancakes to the Russian prisioners seeing them not as soldiers but as people starving just like his people. I feel these chapters were most important because it showed even though war happened still nothing could change as each soldier still has part of them somewhere either in curiosity (going to see the french women), love, (for family or friends), and compassion (towards a fellow human even if he is considered an enemy).
One thing i foreshadow is that Paul's mother will die considering we still cant save all cancer patients today and even a shot in the leg can kill you back then using Kemmerich as a refrence.
Nice post Eric, but I would also like to point out Paul's reluctance to tell his father his experience during the war, or his unfamiliarity with his surroundings once he is home. Those just go to point out that although soldiers are people, after what they have experienced, they cannot fully be "normal" people either.
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