JayElle....why do you think that Pierre is supposed to be OLD? He's not, at all. Look at all his friends in his life....all young, Anatole, Natasha, Andrei, Dolokhov, . Referring to someone AS an old man is a figure of speech, although it does describe his personality a bit. He's cranky, and unhappy.
Take a look at the link below -- the BBC did a wonderful 4 part series on War & Peace, focusing quite a bit on the same section of the story. See how very young their Pierre is.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/3D5R2vxdjv0ySLMCfHBHlST/pierre-bezukhov
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.