The Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger once said “Perjor est bello timor ipse belli”, which translates to: “the fear of war is worse than the war itself”. With this quote, Seneca identifies that war takes both a physical and mental toll on its participants. The psychological and emotional scars of war cause far more damage to a soldier than actual physical battles. Tim O'Brien repeats this idea many years later in his novel “The Things They Carried,” describing how the emotional burdens outweigh the physical burdens those at war must bear. What keeps them alive is the hope that one day they will be able to return home to their loved ones. However, the weight of these intangible “objects” such as “pain, terror, love, desire” obscures the physical burden they must bear since they cannot be easily thrown away. Tim O'Brien alternates narration and descriptions of the tangible objects the soldiers carry. He seemingly remembers everything his teammates carried and provides an “emotionless recitation” of the weight of each of the items the soldiers carried into the field. He often uses the term "humping" to describe the way soldiers carry their equipment; making them appear more uncivilized, like animals. When he returns to mention intangibles, such as the experiences of his leader Jimmy Cross and his beloved Martha, the reader feels the emotional weight of each soldier. This contrast in style affirms that the soldiers are human and highlights the weight that these intangible objects have on the soldiers. One emotional burden that men have to carry is the longing for their loved ones. The Vietnam War forced many young people to leave their loved ones and move halfway around the world to fight a... medium of paper... (Martha) burning the tangible ones (her letters). But he realizes that “it was just a gesture… the letters were in his head” (370). He even discards the pebble she gave him, but he can't get rid of the boulder that is the emotional burden of his love for her. The weight of desires, fears and responsibility puts great pressure on an individual. The soldiers in "The Things They Carried" carry a large amount of weapons and heavy equipment everywhere. But the hardest things are the intangible ones, like emotions, shame and reputation. These intangible objects cannot be discarded and therefore humans continue to “hump” carrying their weight for the rest of their lives. Lieutenant Cross realizes that men "carry these things inside, maintaining a mask of composure" (369) and that unfortunately the only way to release these things is death..