Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, graphic violence, racism, and antisemitism. 

The rain continues to cause the creek to swell, and Mark can’t stop thinking about the story and what Anna said about his parents. He thinks about how it’s true that he cannot possibly know them entirely and decides to ask his father some serious questions. At first, Mark’s dad thinks he’s joking, but then he begins to understand that his son is considering these issues personally. Mark asks his dad what he would do if his father were Hitler, and whether his father would still love him if he killed hundreds of people. Mark’s father tells his son that he hopes he would do the right thing and that he would love him no matter what. He is left wondering why his son is suddenly asking such heavy questions.

At the bus stop the next day, Anna continues her story. Heidi found out that she would be moving to a much more remote home with Fraulein Gelber, and the car ride there was long and arduous. Heidi was not allowed to speak to the driver, presumably because he didn’t know who she was, and at one point, the driver had to duck the car under a tree to avoid an Allied Forces bomber plane.