In the story “Winter Dreams”, the main character, Dexter Green, is very concerned about success and status and tries to buy his happiness. In this story, Dexter is the son of a owner of the second-best grocery store in Black Bear, Minnesota. He caddies at a golf course in the warmer months to earn extra money. While working, he meets a girl named Judy Jones who he finds attractive. She asks him to carry her clubs but he couldn't due to a prior job he was working. He later quits and starts going to state school. This drives him to long for material success. Once finished college, Dexter borrows $1,000 and buys a partnership in a laundry. By age 27 , he owns the largest chain of laundries in the upper Midwest. He sells the business and moves to New York. Time goes back when Dexter and Judy dated. During this time he falls for her after a kiss. During a picnic she leaves with another man. She claims that nothing happened between her and the other man, but Dexter doesn’t believe her. Things start to turn for the worst for the young couple and Dexter finds himself engaged to another woman named Irene. Irene’s headache cancels the wedding. He returns to the University Club and he runs into Judy, she flirts with him and insists on them getting married. He agrees and does not regret messing up his reputation or betraying Irene. He loves Judy above all and believes that Judy is worth it. He decides to move to New York with Judy but WWI breaks out and he is forced to go west and enter basic training, leaving Judy behind. Seven years later he discovers that Judy has gotten remarried to a man who is horrible and cheats on her while she is home with their kids. He cries because he will never get his youth back. In "Soldier's Home," it tells a story about a man named Krebs. Krebs went to the war in 1917 and returns in 1919. When he returns, no one celebrates. The greeting of heroes was over, no one wants to hear his depressing war stories