This battle report and the hardened state of the Nephites provide the only connection between this letter and the letter quoted in chapter 8. In Moroni 8:27–28, Mormon had written that the Nephites needed to humble themselves and repent but that they would not. In Mormon 8:29 he specifically notes that, if they persist in that condition, “they must perish.” In this letter, Mormon is repeating that same theme, reporting on the deaths and implying that destruction is approaching ever closer.