in or into a dangerous or uncompromising position, where one is not joined or supported by anyone else; vulnerable.
The answer is "<u>The narrator recognizes that war is cruel, unjust, and inescapable.</u>"
Showing that Sergei considers the goldfish to be his friend, there does not seem to be a conflict with the relationship between the two. And, yes. It can be called a friendship because any two living organisms can be friends if there wanted to.
You process it in your mind, obtaining the information you have been told.
