A powerful motif in the book and the film is the pair of leather boots owned by Paul's friend, Hans. Paul brought them back to the hospital after Hans dies. What was the author of this story trying to tell us by focusing on these boots?

That the conditions taking place in this story were extremely poor and that the young men could only have so much. The boys were to provide their own shoes and some of them couldn't afford new ones and so they were stuck with wearing short, small, old boots in the war.