The various incidents in these chapters are variations on the basic theme of humaneness, a theme in harmony with Tolstoy's larger investigation of virtue and submission to destiny. The Rostovs giving up their possessions to free carts in order to convey disabled soldiers out of town and Pierre's saving the life of the enemy captain are natural and spontaneous acts of humanity. By comparison, Rastoptchin's vindication of personal failure by sacrificing Vereshtchagin and the parallel scapegoat idea of Pierre's intended assassination of Napoleon are examples of unspontaneous and unnatural acts that, by being egotistically generated, lead to dehumanization. In both situations, Pierre and Rastoptchin operate on the fallacious assumption that one man is responsible for historical acts: The governor tells the mob Vereshtchagin is a traitor to his nation, and Pierre wishes to destroy the man who caused the war. These incidents all resolve on a note of love, hope, life itself as Pierre's emotions focus on the starry peaceful night sky and the comet.
Tolstoy illustrates obvious truisms through these incidents: When one acts according to his natural instincts for goodness, his acts are humane; when one acts out of self-consciousness and quells his sense of conscience, his acts are destructive. Unselfish motives generate acts that follow the necessities of destiny, whereas selfishly motivated acts introduce a destructive chaos to the overall pattern of destiny.
