Whether he was () very hard hit

The protagonist, Philip moved in with his uncle Mr. Carey, the Vicar of Blackstable after his mother's death.
He goes to the medical school St. Luke's in London.
He bought for his whole fortune the stocks of a gold mine in South Africa following the stockbroker MacAlister's suggestion during the Boer War.
"He" refers to MacAlister.
........................................
"But they're marked down at one and an eighth."
"Oh yes, but that doesn't mean anything. You can't get that for them."
Philip did not say anything for a moment. He was trying to collect himself.
"D'you mean to say they're worth nothing at all?"
"Oh, I don't say that. Of course they're worth something, but you see, nobody's buying them now."
"Then you must just sell them for what you can get."
Macalister looked at Philip narrowly. He wondered whether he was very hard hit.
[Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham]
I'd like to know "in" is omitted before "very hard hit."
Thank you in advance for your help.