While visiting Henry in the field hospital, the priest tells Henry that the war is made by certain people and executed by others. Henry still resists this notion. He also admits that he does not love God — that perhaps he does not love anyone. "You will," the priest reassures him. "I know you will." Clearly the priest knows Henry better than Henry knows himself. Note the particular nature of the contrast between the peace-loving priest and Henry's roommate Rinaldi, who is warm and likeable but attracted by the violence and sex associated with wartime. At this point in A Farewell to Arms, Henry stands somewhere between them, philosophically, as if at a crossroads. It is unclear whose path he will follow, despite his traumatic and painful recent experience.
When Henry and Catherine reunite in Milan, he again declares his love for her — only this time he means it. For Henry, his affair with Catherine is no longer a game, and it is significant that this transformation follows his wounding in battle. The experience has matured Henry, elevating him to a level of wisdom closer to that of Catherine. And yet the dynamic of Henry's naivete versus Catherine's experience and maturity is reiterated as Henry tries to make a date for the night after the operation, and she insists he will be in no shape to see her.
