For Whom the Bell Tolls Blog 1

"He could see a trail through the grass where horses had been led to the stream to drink and there was the fresh manure of several horses. They picket them here to feed at night and keep them out of sight in the timber in the daytime, he thought. I wonder how many horses Pablo has?
He remembered now noticing, without realizing it, that Pablo's trousers were worn soapy shiny in the knees and thighs. I wonder if he has a pair of boots or if he rides in those alpargattas, he thought. He must have quite an outfit. But i don't like that sadness, he thought. That sadness is bad. That's the sadness they get before they quit or before they betray. That is the sadness that comes before the sell-out." (pg. 12)

I think this is an important passage in the build-up of the main guy's character (Robert Jordan). First of all, he seemed to know alot about horses, knowing how they were fed and why Pablo's pants were thin. Earlier in the story it says he is an american who came to spain to fight, making me think he was some random unexperienved eager revolutionary or something. This passage made me think he might actually know a thing or two, and probably had been in Spain for quite a while or had a tough childhood and grown up on a farm somewhere (which he probably did, in the depression and all). Secondly, his interpratation of Pablo's sadness leads me to believe Robert is an experienced soldier, but more importantly, cautious and not easily trusting. All of this builts a solid "noble" character for the main guy, which makes it easier for the reader to "feel sorry for" or whatever later in the story (assuming he gets into some tricky situations, which he probably will).

Questions:

Why did he volunteer to fight?
Does his suspicion of Pablo's sadness have anything to do with his own personal experiences with betrayal?