The old boy network is still very strong and very true. Just look at the stock exchange and how many men and women are there. It is still very much run by men.
Be fond of the man who jests at his scars, if you like; but never believe he is being on the level with you.
I think I was always subconsciously driven by an attempt to restate that faith and to show where it was properly grounded, how it grew out of what a great many young men on both sides felt and believed and were brave enough to do.