"It's true" said Alice in her nice voice which was the only thing nice about her. "And it doesn't make any difference to me whether you believe it or not because it's my belief and that is individual." She wasn't crying anymore because she just realized this herself while saying it out loud. She was calm because she had found comfort in the truth of her own words.

She never really answers "Yes", so this indicates that she is trying to avoid being specific and giving a straight answer (because she probably did not know him)

The girls do not know his real name which indicates that they probably never really knew him at all. This can be compared to Steve = Jesus, because no one really knows Jesus at all. No one really knew him but everyone claims that they do.

Nick says that he will go see Ole Andreson, even though the others tell him that he does not have to if he does not want to.

This fits with Hemingways "code hero", because: He is put in a difficult situation where he has to decide which could result in either succes or fail. So here he has a "moment of truth." He is very manly and courageous to go and talk to him even though it is dangerous. He shows "grace under pressure".

Defeated but not destroyed?

Mr Elliot is probably pretty happy with their arrangement as well, since his wife's girlfriend is better at typing than she is.