"Solitude," especially in the Placid Gulf, is a loaded word that conveys not merely the physical removal from others, but the fundamental isolation of the human soul.

Again the novel implies that the simpleton is best fit to withstand the trials of reality. See the "uninformed intelligence" of Father Roman. Roman, Don Pepe, Barrios, and even Captain Mitchell comprise a class of soldierly simpleton that survives the novel without disillusionment or ruin, despite full exposure to danger. See the comparison between Captain Mitchell and Hirsch on the issue of "imagination."