“it could not be worse,” passini said respectfully. “there is nothing worse than war.” “defeat is worse.” “i do not believe it,” passini said still respectfully. “what is defeat? you go home.” “they come after you. they take your home. they take your sisters.” the use of informal diction in a farewell to arms robs the passage of having a deeper meaning. to maintain the realism of the dialogue. lends an air of absurdity to the dialogue. reduces the readability of the passage.