I'm not 1000% confident in this answer but I believe it's B) to inform readers about the tactics Sparta and Rome used to hold cities and their effectiveness
<span>Knowing that Howells was associated with the press explains his focus on truthful depictions of events. It also explains the backdrop of the story—the effects of patriotic propaganda in newspapers and magazines to garner public support and manipulate the emotions of their readers.</span>
It's pouring down with rain when they meet up at Nick's house, and gradually the sky clears. It's a metaphor for the way things are going between them.
