Chi Kang says that the young are of course stirred by the thought of saving their country. But in his novel he also expresses some of the poignant aspects of the resistance: the doubts, fears, pressure, and the tragedy of lost youth. He recalls that the passion of patriotism quickly disappeared under such conditions, in which people were forced to turn off their emotions.
「年輕人當然會有救國的熱情和衝動」，紀剛說：「但國家民族是一回事，壓力恐懼又是一回事」，他回憶說，加入實際工作之後，興奮、激情很快就消失了，緊接而來的有時是恐懼，有時是焦燥，等到責任愈重，只有「無感」了。