Devon is a safe haven away from the rest of the world. A war is going on, but at Devon the boys are playing around a river and creating new games like blitzball and not worrying about the problems boys only a few years older than them are facing. Devon is at peace, separate from the fighting and loss many people in the world are facing while Finny, Gene, and other boys are forming a special club just for their group of friends. At Devon the boys know about the war and even have people coming to get them to enlist, but still the war does not hit home. They are still at peace and do not see the reality of the war. What they see are mostly videos brought to them to encourage them to enlist, and those do not come close to showing then the true terror of war.At the beginning of the novel, the boys have not yet been drafted like those a few years ahead of their class. They have not trained for war, and most do not see it as much of a threat. A few boys are ready to enlist, and some do not even consider it. Phineas says he does not even believe there is a war at all, and he partly convinces Gene of this idea as well. The war doesnt hit any of them until Leper, the first to enlist, goes to war and comes back a complete mess. Although not children, they are not quite adults, and they share a rare time of carefree play that is completely isolated from the war. These young boys are separate from the reality of the world while they continue their studies just as they had always done, with the only difference being an extra school session in the summer. They have no concept of the danger many people are facing. At such a young age, the war seems so distant and unreal, maybe even fake. According to Witherington, "War is only make-believe on the fields and rivers of Devon." It is a made up story to Finny, a fear to Brinker, and still very distant to Gene. The boys continue their usual fun and studying separate from the war. They are at pea...
