all through the afternoon, people who counted themselves as Father's friends came to the hundredth birthday party. What was Father's secret in his relationship with people?

Father acts as a patriarch figure to the townspeople who respectfully call him Opa and the Grand Old Man of Haarlem. His bright blue eyes and cheerful smile endear him to adults and children alike. Although Father’s forgetfulness and generosity cause him to falter with the business aspect of owning a watch shop, his finely honed skills in watch repair are unparalleled. Father believes in the Christian faith and practices its precepts of love, charity and generosity. Moreover, Father deeply believes that the Jews are God’s chosen people. This motif appears throughout and serves to energize the ten Boom family’s efforts to help Jewish refugees during the war.