What Joe Wants, Joe Can't Get

What does Joe want? Why does he want it? Why is it against regulations?

In the second half of the book, Joe tries to learn how to communicate with others and be understand. It is after he feels a vibration in his throat, a noise the nurse can hear, that he realizes that he can potentially use that with others. Joe also remembers Bill Harper using telegraphing as a form of communicating, and so Joe goes and decides to tap his head in Morse code as his way of talking to others.

Joe then has the idea to take this new form of communication outside of the hospital. He wants to be an educator and show the affects of the war. This however, does not sit well with the government and is against their regulations; the terrible horrors of war would be then exposed. People would see how this man has no limbs and no face, and would not be willing to send more soldiers into such dangerous areas.