
Le
destin de Tom et Mary hantait sans cesse l'auteur, accablé par sa propre impuissance à en assumer le poids.
The fate of Tom and Mary constantly haunted the author, overwhelmed by his own helplessness to assume its weight.

À l’époque de sa construction, la caserne est destinée à l’artillerie.
At the end of its construction, the barracks are destined to the artillery.

Par cette phrase, l'auteur signifiait à Tom et Mary que leur
destin lui échappait, puisqu'il ne comprenait pas le sens profond de ses propres phrases.
By this sentence, the author meant to Tom and Mary that their destiny escaped him, since he did not understand the deep meaning of his own sentences.