Thinking about how Thomas and the Captain are two sides of the same coin.
Both are inept in their chosen fields, but they put their heart and soul into it. Each is mocked by (most of) his peers, but yearns for their respect.
One lives in a world that encourages him to embrace emotional expression and individuality; the other lives in a world that forces him to repress them, stripping him of all identity but his rank.
Each of them is loved by someone who finds his idiosyncrasies charming, even as everyone else laughs. And yet, the pursuit of this love leads each to an ignominious death.
The Captain dies having learned that his feelings are requited, with Havers by his side. Thomas dies alone, believing that Isabelle no longer loves him.
They are a soldier who died from a broken heart, and a poet who died from a gunshot.
