Yossarian Moves the Bomb Line

In the middle of the night, Yossarian tiptoes to the map in the intelligence tent and moves the bomb line up over Bologna. The next morning, the city is reported captured, and the mission is canceled. Clevinger is outraged by Yossarian's act of sabotage, but Yossarian argues that his life is more important than the war. The incident demonstrates Yossarian's willingness to take direct, albeit covert, action to save himself, and it sets him apart from the others who passively accept their fate.