I don't really understand this chapter. O'Brien is traumatized by this man that he killed. He sneaks up on him in the brush and throws a grenade at him. He kills him for no reason. Isn't that what war is all about? Killing people for no reason? I don't understand why this man is so different than all the other men he shoots at during battle. He describes this man in depth, too. Almost like he knew him or something.
Why did he throw the grenade in the first place? This man was obviously minding his own business. I think the reason he goes in such depth about him is because of the amount of guilt he feels. All of the other soldiers are giving him slaps on the back because of how much he hurt the guy. That just rubs it in for O'Brien.
Kiowa trys to make things better by telling him he knows how he feels. He tells him to stop staring and to just leave it behind because there is nothing he could've done about it. O'Brien doesn't even respond to him. The amount of guilt that he is feeling is overwhelming him.
I agree with you that the detail is a product of his deep sense of guilt.
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