Others follow a leader through danger because the leader shows calm confidence, not because the leader shows off strength or daring. In the book, the biggest, boldest elephants could charge into a river and still no one would follow them across.
A bond of trust built slowly through everyday work becomes what saves lives when disaster strikes. Elephants and handlers who had learned to rely on each other while logging could later carry supplies, help build bridges, and move the sick and elderly over steep mountain paths during a desperate wartime escape.
You can work well with another creature, animal or human, without knowing what it is thinking, as long as you respect what it is feeling. Paying attention to fear, comfort and mood is enough to build cooperation where understanding falls short.
When working animals are treated as intelligent, emotional beings rather than machines, they become trusted partners who can teach their handlers. The book's elephants, kept for hauling logs, turned out to be complex and loyal, and that pushed their handler to argue for treating them humanely.