How does the writer show both hope and despair of the country after the war?

Hope is a theme throughout the novel and it is the underlying factor that keeps the children alive in the most difficult of circumstances. They hope they will be reunited with their parents; Ruth and Bronia hope to find their brother; and the journey to Switzerland is made in hope of a better life, and of being with their parents again. Even their new life is inspired by hope for a better day.

Serraillier depicts the horrors of war in his novel in a thoughtful and approachable way. He shows how: families are broken up and children are orphaned; homes and cities are destroyed; children are forced to grow up well before they ought to; the bare necessities of life like food and shelter are lacking; illness is rampant; life is confusing and difficult and frustrating; and psychological traumas due to all of this suffering may take years to heal or never completely vanish. Serraillier's characters are strong and smart and plucky, but they still endure things beyond most of our comprehension.

This writer shows how diffcult some things can be at certain times and how these characters , dealed with all these traumas and how much they suffer through this war and it might take a while to heal after this situation. Hope was the main thing in this story and i hope everyone else agrees .