There are two lines that contribute to the mood of apathy: A. One day I had said that Italian seemed such an easy language to me
that I could not take a great interest in it; everything was so easy to
say "ah yes" the major said.
AND C. We were all a little detached, and
there was nothing that held us together except that we met every
afternoon at the hospital.
Apathy, which means to not care and/or to be
somewhat stoic with regard to something, can be found in response A in
how the narrator notes that he could not take a great interest in the
Italian language. An element of apathy can be found, too, in response
“C” in how it is noted “We were all a little detached.” Both responses
contain the theme of not caring, not interested—apathy.
A. One day I had said that Italian seemed such an easy language to me that I could not take a great interest in it; everything was so easy to say. "Ah, yes," the major said.