In The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien the question of maturity is a recurring theme within the novel which aims to address it and open the discussion on a wider level plan. Specifically within the "Friends" and "Enemies" chapters it is clear that both Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen are trapped in a personal psychological war. This problem affects many young adults, but is exacerbated by war and the tragic loss of innocent lives. Many believe that the purpose of O'Brien's The Things They Carried is to show the hardships and realities of war. While this is true, the more important issue and debate raised is the rapid transformation of our young soldiers as they face the atrocities of war. Although Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen began as bitter enemies, they end their relationship as friends who have matured through wartime encounters and self-reflection. For the first time, we see that they have matured although what triggered this evolution was relative immaturity on the part of both characters as one stole and the other went overboard and was unable to deal with their situation. “Because that same night, late at night, he borrowed a gun, grabbed it by the barrel, and used it like a hammer to break his own nose.” (63) The insecurity here on Dave Jensen's part is truly astonishing. Jensen feels that by breaking his nose he is getting even with Strunk, thus creating an environment where tensions are obvious but not obvious. Here the question arises: who is the most mature soldier regarding the situation in question? Jensen's tendency to harm himself consequently presents a mixture of levels of maturity. For one thing, he feels responsible for breaking Strunk's nose and causing his... middle of paper... and, he took turns keeping watch at night." (65) This fact proves that Strunk was able to use Jensen's insecurities and emotions to his advantage. Therefore, the level of maturity and thought process he had was greater than that of Jensen. It is evident that during war emotions are checked at the door and the. entire psyche is altered. It is very difficult to say what the root causes of this are due to the many variables that come into play in war, from the death of civilians to the death of friends. However, in "Enemies" and "Friends" we see a great development between the characters would not be seen anywhere else. Although they rely on each other to survive, physical and emotional manipulation and struggle are used by the characters to fight their own interpsychological wars factors is the loss and gain of maturity Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk.