How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"At least humans can pack their essentials, keep moving, keep improvising. […] The zoo animals are in a much worse situation than we are," she lamented, "because they're totally dependent on us." (4.31)
Antonina still feels for the animals, even during the violence of war. Nevertheless, she never puts their safety above the safety of humans.
Quote #5
"I had a moral indebtedness to the Jews," Jan once told a reporter. (13.2)
Jan explains that his compassion for the Jews is partly the result of going to a Jewish school. We'd have thought "being a decent person" would be explanation enough. Does this mean that if Jan didn't go to a mostly Jewish school, he wouldn't care for them at all? Probably not, but it does show that even otherwise good people at the time were biased against the Jews living with them. The Holocaust didn't happen in a vacuum.
Quote #6
"I don't understand all the fuss. If any creature is in danger, you save it, human or animal." (13.7)
Don't forget plants. Antonina is also upset when the Germans eradicate many plants in the zoo. We think she's basically anti-destruction, in general. Not a bad position to take, if you ask us.