# XXVI explained — War and Peace > Chapter companion for War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. ## What happens Prince Andrei and his pregnant wife, Liza, arrive at Bald Hills, the Bolkonsky estate. They are greeted by the old valet Tíkhon and find Princess Marya practicing the clavichord. An emotional reunion occurs between Marya and Liza. Andrei then has a tense, disjointed conversation with his father, the old Prince Bolkonsky, who quizzes him on military strategy while dismissing God's role in health and singing a cynical old French song about war. ## Themes in this chapter ### Family and Legacy The strained yet loving dynamic between Andrei and his father, and the emotional reunion between Marya and Liza, highlight the complexities of family bonds under the shadow of the old prince's rigid routines and Andrei's military duty. ### War and History The central conversation is a critique of grand military 'strategy.' The old prince's cynical song ('Malbrouk s'en va-t-en guerre') underscores the absurdity and timeless, destructive cycle of war, contrasting with Andrei's detailed explanation of the Allied plan. ### Personal vs. Public Life Andrei's return home forces him to switch between his role as a soldier explaining grand strategy and his roles as son, brother, and husband, where he confronts his wife's pregnancy and his sister's sadness. ## Character check-ins ### Prince Andréy Nikoláevich Bolkónski Returns home to Bald Hills with his wife. He shows patient respect for his father's eccentricities and explains the Allied war plan, but privately feels sadness and unease about the domestic scene. ### Princess Márya Nikoláevna Bolkónskaya Overjoyed at her brother's arrival, she has an emotional, tearful reunion with her sister-in-law. Her loving, gentle gaze is fixed on Andrei, and she is concerned about his departure for war. ### Prince Vasíli Sergéevich Kurágin NOT PRESENT. Do not include. ### Countess Natálya Ilyínichna Rostóva NOT PRESENT. Do not include. ### Count Pyotr Kirílych Bezúkhov NOT PRESENT. Do not include. ### Count Nikoláy Ilyítch Rostóv NOT PRESENT. Do not include. ### Old Prince Nikoláy Andréevich Bolkónski Andrei's father. Irascible, intellectually sharp, and dismissive of modern military strategy and religion. He dominates the conversation with his son, interrupting with non sequiturs and singing a cynical song about war. ### Princess Liza Bolkónskaya Andrei's wife. She is pregnant, talkative, and merrily navigates the social greetings. Her mood shifts quickly to tears when discussing her condition and Andrei's departure. ## Key lines > "God has nothing to do with it! Well, go on," he continued, returning to his hobby; "tell me how the Germans have taught you to fight Bonaparte by this new science you call 'strategy.'" The old prince dismissively attributes his health to his habits, not God, and immediately demands Andrei explain the modern military plans against Napoleon. _Shows the old prince's irreligious and skeptical nature, and his focus on war._ > The old man began to sing, in the cracked voice of old age: "Malbrook s'en va-t-en guerre. Dieu sait quand reviendra." As Andrei finishes his strategic explanation, his father interrupts by singing an old French folk song about a lord going off to war, with the line 'God knows when he'll return.' _A cynical, artistic commentary that reduces the grand war plans to a timeless, tragic folly._ > "So you are really going to the war, André?" she said sighing. Princess Marya, amidst the social chatter, asks her brother with a sigh if he is truly departing for war. _Highlights the personal, emotional cost of the public military conflict._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/war_and_peace/chapters/xxvi - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/war_and_peace - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/war_and_peace/chapters