People across the world take this competition very, very seriously, even to the point of making a war out of it. It's a digital war, sure, but it's still a war.

This is one of the few un-selfish acts Wade does during the course of the book, showing us that his friendship with Aech really does mean something. That comes as a bit of a relief, because his one-track mind was starting to become a bit worrisome.