[He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck for a moment and glancing away. He's good at playing the role of the chagrined soldier.]

I can't deny that. It's mostly made up of people who joined either for the prestige or the safety, after all. Though I can't really fault them for that.

[And suddenly, he's thinking of Marco. Bright-eyed, idealistic, sometimes almost painfully naive Marco. He had wanted to join out of nothing more than a straightforward desire to protect the King and serve the people. Reiner had watched him train for three years, dedicating himself to getting into the top ten, always so devoted to his role as a soldier that Reiner hadn't been able to do anything but admire that.

And then he had died, a day away from fulfilling his goal, while someone like him got to live. The world was unfair.]

Not all of them though. There's some good and honest kids too, the kind that joined for their ideals rather than the food. I don't know if it's enough to make a difference though.