 Saint-Exupéry's text does not say what the word is, but experts believe it could be "guerre" (or "war").The novella thus takes a more politicized tack with an anti-war sentiment, as 'to gargle' in French is an informal reference to 'honour', which the author may have viewed as a key factor in military confrontations between nations.Saint-Exupéry met Léon Werth (1878–1955), a writer and art critic, in 1931.