Crimes, guilt and struggles with conscience
Campbell is both a protagonist and an antagonist; he is like Janus, since it is possible to say that he has two faces; the first one belongs to a vicious Nazi, whose propaganda spreads like a cancer around the English-speaking world, while the second one belongs to a spy, who works against Nazis. Although Campbell does a lot for the victory over Nazi Germany, his lies cost millions of Jews their lives. When the war comes to its end, he manages to continue his life. How? Why does his conscience keep silence? The answer is rather unpredictable, he has schizophrenia. What is his real identity then? Both, a vicious Nazi and a merciful person, who sacrifices his future life for the victory, coexist peacefully in him. This proves that this world is not black-and-white, even the worst person might have something good in him/her and vice versa.
Freedom
Absolute freedom is an attractive idea and an extremely beautiful utopia. Before the war starts, Campbell thinks that he and his Helga exist in their own world, the kingdom of two, where only love and mutual adoration exist. As it turns out to be later, their kingdom of two is not protected from the harsh reality. One might think that one is free, independent, a citizen of the world, but this illusion can burst like a bubble as soon as a war or a catastrophe happens. Then they have to make a choice. The only one kind of freedom exists and it is freedom of choice.
Obsession
Obsession is a rather dangerous emotional state. As soon as a certain idea starts ruling one’s world, that person stops sensing the world around him/her. An idea of racial purity, thoughtless dedication to a certain ideology or a person can cause the most horrible tragedies. This story shows how important it is to think, analyze and make decisions carefully.
A choice to forget
The World War II was the most horrible tragedy in history of mankind. Tragedies, horrors, injustice and many other dreadful things happened then. Although it was a nightmare, which came true, there were people, who managed to forget about it. They didn’t hold grudges and didn’t look for revenge. Dr. Epstein’s is the perfect example. He doesn’t want the war influence his life, doesn’t think that all ex-Nazis are his sworn enemies. He prefers to forget and this strategy seems to work fine for him, but others – his mother and his friends – want him to remember, to lead a life full of hatred. Dr. Epstein proves that it is possible not to lose hope in humanity even if you have seen hell.
