MAX RUNS AROUND IN HIS GRAY SUIT, a black band tied on the sleeve. Even proper mourning is impossible in these days. All the children are broke, and it makes no sense for Elsa to spend her last money on this. Did Helmut want to die for his beliefs? Did Mother love them all as much as she did him? Such brooding makes one sick. Maybe if he could have found an upright, sensible, adult Party man to speak with, maybe it all would have made some sense. Maybe he could have learned something reasonable.

With their bravura and their threatening drivel, the very young — who aren't even old enough to vote, but still are convinced by the unscientific and spiteful articles of a few newspapers and the certainly dazzling and impressively spoken words of certain orators, none of which would convince a thinking person — ah, these easily controllable youth get such an incomplete picture of the world. What was it that Jürgen said? “We’re sometimes not so far apart in how we see the world”? What is right and what is wrong? What's coming next? Peter thinks “War and civil war.” Elsa says, “Compromise and a new socialist impulse, because the ones have been fighting with methods that they will later regret having used.” Jürgen's view is: “Now everything will be fine: a man of strong will is going to act on your behalf and teach you how to think of yourselves. Only when foreigners once again fear us will they again treat us with respect. They won't be proud and armed to the teeth while we have not a soldier to be seen. The arrogance of the others will subside, and for that you will have our Führer to thank.”

“Jürgen,” Susi answers, “The president has sent the Reichstag home because it doesn't represent the majority of the people anymore. Now he's brought back the kind of people that Father has always admired. Do you really think that this is what most people want? Right now you’re the biggest party, even though you don't have a majority, but you’re a socialist workers Party and your chief is a man from the people.