The novel War and Peace, written by Russian author Leo Tolstoy and published serially from 1865 to 1869, recurs across The Cold Millions as a symbol for Rye Dolan’s agency in the grand scheme of history. Centered around the fates of five noble families during the Napoleonic Wars, War and Peace is considered one of the most significant works of modern literature.

War and Peace first appears among the possessions of Rye’s brother, Gig. A passionate reader, Gig only possesses copies of Volumes 1 and 3 of the novel. He aspires to complete his collection, which Rye often thinks about in the presence of books, such as when he visits Lem Brand’s library. Rye only begins to read War and Peace himself after he gifts a library copy to Gig which Gig rejects out of misplaced pride. He quickly begins to enjoy the novel, filling as much spare time as he can find with its pages. Though he is not always able to understand its meaning, he appreciates its descriptions and events.

Eventually, he begins to project the novel against his own life to the point that he uses Tolstoy’s language to describe himself and Gig. When Early Reston asks Rye about his allegiances, for instance, Rye points to Tolstoy’s passage about being temporary but living with the horror of knowing that other temporary people die possessing nothing.