In spite of the large gaps between fellow fighting men as a result of cross over social practices and of class structure within the ranks, the progression of the war caused some class boundaries to begin blurring as a need for more officers arose. The Army's initial officer class of 15, 000 men was expanded with the addition of 235, 000 individuals over the course of the war. The either permanent or temporary commissioning of these individuals gave them the title of "temporary gentlemen".
This label of "temporary gentleman" applies to Prior in Barker's story, given his rank of Second Lieutenant. His lower class birth and working class background places Prior in a difficult situation. During a therapy session with Rivers, Prior is asked how he "fit in" with those on the war front. In response to this question his "face shuts tight," and Prior asks, in order to clarify, "You mean, did I encounter any snobbery?" Prior answers his own question in and informs Rivers that "it's made perfectly clear" who is immediately accepted at the front and who is not. Prior states that your rank depends on whether you went to "the right school" or whether you wore shirts of "the right colour, which is a deep shade of khaki." Prior states that he comes nowhere close to possessing any of these high-class qualifications and suffers for it accordingly.
Prior's discussion with Rivers highlights specific examples of "snobbery" and blatantly reveals the degree of class bias and prejudices at the war front. This conversation leads to Prior's primary concern that those back home believe; "there are no class distinctions at the front". He informs Rivers that "What you wear, what you eat. Where you sleep. What you carry" all contribute to the reinforcement of class distinctions. Despite Prior's rank as Second Lieutenant, he is snubbed because of his social status. His experiences on the war front inform readers of the nature of class distinctions within British culture. The pettiness of concern over the shade of khaki someone is wearing illustrates the absurdity of such distinctions. And the value placed on officers of higher class in contrast to the disregard given for soldiers of lower social standing shows the "snobbery" within the British social structure that leads to the unfair view of soldiers as expendable.
The conversation between Prior and Rivers is a small piece of Barker's larger discussion on Britain's social class distinctions. Their conversation illustrates the negative results that stem from Britain's social structure, which is reproduced within the trenches of war. Class distinctions are explored further through characters like Prior's parents, and other patients at Craiglockhart. Barker's inclusion of these characters' experiences and their social standings within British society reinforce her theme of the injustice of class distinctions and their damaging effects on the mindset of men during World War I.