Hana finds a passage scrawled in her burned patient's copy of Herodotus' Histories: "There are betrayals in war that are childlike compared with our human betrayals during peace. The new lover enters the habits of the other. Things are smashed, revealed in a new light. This is done with nervous or tender sentences, although the heart is an organ of fire." The novel delves into the devastation caused by war and the destructive power of forbidden love. Both love and war alter rules, invalidate expectations, and disrupt the safety of everyday life. The heart becomes more exposed and vulnerable, lacking the protection of social norms and family obligations.