Milo Minderbinder is the most obvious representative of the theme of greed in the novel, but he is not alone; excessive ambition is also a kind of greed, personified by Colonel Cathcart and General Peckem, among others. Milo is a brilliant but corrupt entrepreneur who manipulates his position as mess officer into personal direction of a syndicate (M & M Enterprises) that controls the black market. When Milo’s greed gets out of hand, his cash flow is strapped due to a purchase of the entire Egyptian cotton crop. Desperate for funds, Milo contracts with the Germans to bomb his own squadron’s base on Pianosa. Heller details the bombing and strafing, during which Milo’s pilots spare the landing strip and mess hall so they can land and enjoy a hot meal before retiring. As Milo likes to say, “What’s so terrible about that?” For Milo, a contract is a contract; whatever is good for M & M Enterprises is good for the country. But mainly it’s good for Milo. Although he claims that everyone has a share in the syndicate, few people see a profit other than Milo. Cathcart and Peckem are greedy for power, which comes with rank and position. Cathcart, the highest-ranked colonel in charge of military operations, keeps raising the number of missions required for an airman to fulfill his tour of duty. He does this to call attention to himself and his ability to get more out of the men, thinking that the ploy will lead to a promotion to general. Peckem already is a general, but he is the director of Special Services—the office dealing with activities and entertainment for the soldiers. Peckem yearns to control military operations. After all, he concludes, what could be more “special” than bombing the hell out of people? Greed leads both Cathcart and Peckem into debilitating corruption. Cathcart is responsible for the deaths of men who have properly served their time and should be going home; one of the survivors, Yossarian, brings humiliation to Cathcart in the end. Peckem finally gets his appointment to military operations—only to find that his own memoranda have resulted in the assignment of the war effort to Special Services. Peckem ends up serving under newly promoted Lieutenant General Scheisskopf, whom Peckem has been walking all over for some time. In this case, greed leads to poetic justice.
The theme of personal integrity runs throughout Catch-22 and is central to an understanding of Yossarian. The novel presents a struggle between individual and institution. Yossarian confronts military authority; but others join him, such as the admirable Chaplain Tappman who changes from a timid soul to a real fighter under Yossarian’s influence. In the base hospital, the soldier in white represents loss of identity within the system. No one knows whether the soldier is a man or a woman or black or white or, indeed, whether there is even a soldier inside all that gauze and plaster casing. To regain one’s identity, each person must seek his own personal integrity. Yossarian, who would seem most skeptical about integrity, does take a stand in the end. He rejects Colonel Korn’s “deal” even though it offers Yossarian an automatic trip home, superficial honor and respect, and peace at last. Although it may seem best for him and for the authorities, Yossarian cannot accept Korn’s offer because it would be a betrayal of the rest of the squadron. He would be losing himself to the system. To find himself, he must declare a separate peace and flee.
