 How would the main character's reaction been different if his wife was alive when he came back home?
They were nearing a river; the water would be welcome on tired bodies and dry throats. He spurred his horse, and when they reached the water's edge, he dismounted and unsaddled the horse. Then both man and horse plunged headlong into the waiting torrent, deep into the cool embrace of the clear liquid. Refreshed and momentarily content, he sat staring into the dying fire, seeing the bright glowing coals as living fingers clutching at the wood in consuming embrace, taking all and returning nothing but ashes. Images began to appear, drawn from inexhaustible files, wherein are kept all thoughts, past, present, and future.... World War III had been declared, and he had enlisted, receiving his old rank of captain. When he opened it, he found a picture of her in one side, and in the other a picture of the children. His cold fingers found the locket, making a little bulge under his uniform, and the touch of it seemed to warm the blood in his veins. Three days later they had landed in Spain, merged with another division, then crossed the Pyrenees into France, and finally to Paris where the fighting had begun. The Russians had not yet used the H-bomb; the threat of annihilation by the retaliation forces had been too great. The very feel of the word was everything a battle-weary soldier needed to make him fight harder and live longer. When the all-clear had sounded, the men clambered from their shelters.
 He would not have been as solemn as he was when he discovered she was no longer there.
 He would have realized her love for him had vanished.  He would not have been as solemn as he was when he discovered she was no longer there.  He would have been in a state of confusion because he would not have recognized his wife.  He would still be very depressed from the aftermath of the war.