A man who returned to his hometown after serving in the Marines during his college years. He is estimated to be in his late twenties. He does not express much emotion and is often seen alone rather than socializing (an effect of the war). He is a clean-cut, handsome man. (Since there is no specific physical description in the book, this is an estimation.) Krebs returns to his Midwestern hometown in Oklahoma after fighting in World War I and experiences a crisis of identity. Suffering from war trauma, he feels a sense of distance from a society that holds fantasies about war and fails to belong. His ambivalent attitude toward women—the book describes how he wants a woman but doesn't want to court one, and wants to be close to a woman he admires but finds the effort of 'working' for it too tedious (though he seems to like pretty women, considering he complains that French and German women weren't pretty)—shows his position on the boundary of society. His middle-class mother tries to persuade him to find a job and become a member of society again. Her attitude and perspective represent the Protestant work ethic of the time. Rejecting emotional ties with the social community, Krebs is in a state of anomie. Unable to resist his mother's persuasion, he answers that he will resume his social life. However, he has not truly changed internally. By analyzing Krebs's state, one can understand the social and political implications of the Lost Generation. He has a younger sister named Helen.