The intro to this chapter seems like something is off. This may be old news. It seems like whoever the Commanding Officer is turns into Graff mid sentence. I feel like I'm stupid for not understanding this conversation. I've read this book many times and I'm listening to it on audible and even so I feel like something is really off here.
Posted by ChrisW (Member # 13982) on :
The error isn't yours, it's that there's an extra line of dialogue somewhere, or one too many.
It's the commanding officer who is looking out for the overall project and the soldiers under his command and stating that Bonzo's death was unnecessary. It's Graff who's defending himself and his particular projects saying that Bonzo's death was unforeseeable.
"I can't control your opinions, I can merely disagree with them" is exactly what Graff would say to his commander. He would also recommend Ender for Command School immediately. In the printed book, these are two separate paragraphs from two different speakers.
The commander would then state that he's read Dap's report and warn Graff that Dap is not to be punished for his report and express doubts about Ender. Graff is totally betting on Ender and as the discussion turns to Bean, would warn against relying on Bean.
You're not missing anything, it's a legitimate error.