Joe #1

Joe has lost his arms, legs, nose, mouth, eyes and ears. It matters a lot (to him). It makes him think of himself as a spokesperson for the dead because he can understand what they feel like because he can't interact with the world- just lie there. It changes his entire outlook on life. He no longer believes in 'fighting for a word' because he doesn't believe it was worth it, compared to what happened to him. His mind also becomes more active (after briefly losing his grip on reality). To him, it feels like he is someone else now.

To everyone else, it mostly doesn't matter. His friends and family and girlfriend will grieve for him, the doctors who helped him live will be proud of their medical accomplishment (he talks about that at one point) but everyone else doesn't care that one American in a war where millions have died is still alive, though mostly insensate. He's less than a statistic to them. (Did they have statistics back then? Did anyone care? As much as now?)