He wants to form a partnership, but Yossarian refuses. But Milo entrusts Yossarian with all his secrets anyway. We learn that Milo lives by a strict set of morals, but that his morals allow him — even require him — to charge the highest prices possible. But they won't allow him to borrow a package of pitted dates from the mess hall because they're government property. He can, however, borrow the same package of pitted dates from Yossarian and even trade it as McWatt's interest to a thief with a sweet tooth who stole McWatt's bed sheet from him that morning, and then get both the dates and bed sheet back.
Milo takes a quarter of the bed sheet "for the syndicate," gives half back to McWatt, and a quarter to Yossarian, along with the dates. We find out that Milo's life goal is to open a mart like a store. When Major Major is promoted, Milo sets up a private table for him in the front of the mess hall. Milo approaches the intimidating Major de Coverley with fresh eggs.
The Major is so impressed that he immediately assigns Milo mess hall duties. During a rest leave, Milo flies with Yossarian to Cairo on some business. Milo takes them from Pianosa to Sicily to Palermo. At each stop, he keeps promising Yossarian and Orr a nice hotel room with prostitutes where they can relax.
They never get these hotel rooms because Milo keeps abandoning them for new projects. Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. He claims to live every waking second of his life by a strict moral code. It's just that this moral code allows for price inflation and betraying one's country for the sake of profit. Milo sees everything in terms of the syndicate.
Assets must be secured and utilized no matter the consequence to the U. Once a nation has become a participant in the syndicate, Milo is unable to see that nation as an enemy. He cannot see them as anything but equal shareholders within the syndicate. Interestingly, Milo has a commitment to America and cannot dream of committing crimes against the state. At least what he considers to be crimes against the state. He thus makes a nice profit by signing his name twice.
This is the raid on which Mudd, the "dead man" in Yossarian's tent, is killed. Even more despicable than the Orvieto deal is Milo's arrangement with the Germans to bomb his own squadron when the syndicate's cash flow runs low, due to excessive investment in Egyptian cotton. This time it appears that Milo may have gone too far. Newspapers and politicians back home denounce the attack on American airmen. Heller's satire is especially biting as he points out that all is forgiven after Milo demonstrates that the raid turned a healthy profit.
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