re: Lieutenant Pio

The book (original, not the one that followed the movie) was about choice. Gump wanted a life with Jenny but tried to take the shortcut (when he tries to fix the wrestling match) and he loses her forever. He has success but ends up a bum in the park with Lt Dan and he sees his eyes in the kid, knowing what he could have had. Instead Jenny raised his kid with another man and he lost it all.

That sounds like tragedy.