For Achilles, the death of Patroclus pushed him into a fury, but it was not only grief that drove him. It was also a sense of shame and guilt because he had not been there to protect his friend. Sometimes men in combat feel this sort of survivor’s guilt even though, realistically, they could have done nothing to prevent their comrade’s death.
Nel Noddings, Peace Education: How We Come to Love and Hate War
achilles, comradeship, death, epic, grief, guilt, shame, survival, war