Throughout the novel, Yossarian's main concern is the idea that people are trying to kill him, either directly (by attacking his plane) or indirectly (by forcing him to fly missions), and he goes to great lengths to stay alive.
Romaanis muretseb Yossarian läbivalt selle üle, et inimesed tahavad teda tappa, otseselt (tema lennukit rünnates) või kaudselt (sundides teda missioone lendama) ning ta teeb suuri pingutusi, et ellu jääda.