The War of the Worlds Exile Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Volume.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #10

By the toll of a billion deaths man has bought his birthright of the earth, and it is his against all comers; it would still be his were the Martians ten times as mighty as they are. For neither do men live nor die in vain. (2.8.22)

After all that exile – both metaphorical and literal – where do we end up? With all his soul-searching about God and animals, the narrator seems to think that we're still in charge here. Is he serious? Is he missing something? He later says some things that make it seem like he's not so sure, like when he notes that the Martians might inherit the universe. But how does he reach this conclusion?