In Chapter 42, the narrator climbs to their attic, taking in the sharp, cold air that fills the space, and reflecting on the unsettling shift in their surroundings. The familiar smells of coal dust and cooking, once associated with a sense of home, have been replaced by an eerie cleanliness, reminding the narrator of earlier traumatic experiences in Berlin during the bombings. Alongside Helga, the narrator had lived through multiple devastations, often climbing stairs to homes stripped of roofs and windows. In those moments, a temporary sense of freedom had been felt, akin to Noah and his wife after the flood, perched on Mount Ararat. This brief relief, however, was fleeting, always overshadowed by the reality that they were ordinary people, lacking the protection of a dove or covenant. As they look back, they are reminded that the threats of war are far from over, leaving them vulnerable in an unpredictable world.

The fleeting moment of freedom soon gives way to rising tension as the air-raid sirens begin to wail, signaling the imminent danger of another bomb raid. This sound fills the narrator and Helga with dread as they are reminded of their vulnerability and the ever-present threat hanging over them. In their memory, they recall the deep underground shelter they had sought during earlier raids, where the echoing noise of bombs falling above created a constant atmosphere of fear. The cramped, dimly lit space they shared with others became a place where tension was palpable. In the shelter, a family sits opposite them, and as the bombs fall relentlessly above, the mother begins to speak, her voice trembling with anxiety. She speaks of the anger she believes is reigning above them, and her desperation grows as she cries out for guidance, asking what is expected of them in these dire circumstances. The eruption of panic is undeniable as the situation worsens.

When a bomb explodes nearby, the mother’s panic reaches a new peak, and in a desperate cry, she asks for the chaos to end, a plea for relief from the madness consuming them. Her breakdown, however, is met with an unsettling reaction from her husband, who strikes her unconscious. This tragic response reveals a harsh reality of trauma: while some seek to surrender to the chaos, others may react violently, trying to reassert control in situations that are beyond their power. The husband’s need to regain control of the situation leads him to approach a vice-admiral, who happens to be present in the shelter. He frames his wife’s breakdown as something typical, a response to the trauma they were all enduring. The vice-admiral, composed and unshaken by the crisis, reassures the husband, telling him that moments of panic are understandable under the circumstances. This interaction highlights the cold, pragmatic responses to stress in a war-torn world, where compassion may be overshadowed by the instinct to maintain control at all costs.

As the events unfold, the narrator observes the lasting impact of these moments on the children present in the shelter, their innocent lives marked by the trauma they are witnessing. The enduring psychological effects of such events are felt deeply by the narrator, who senses a significant shift within themselves. The harshness of the war, and the violence it brings out in individuals, leaves an indelible mark not just on the victims, but also on the witnesses. In a world governed by fear and loss, the boundaries between sanity and madness become increasingly blurred. The tension, the violence, and the constant threat of destruction have changed everyone involved, leaving them all more broken and more aware of the unpredictable forces shaping their lives. The chapter emphasizes the deep, psychological scars left by trauma, affecting both those directly involved in the events and those forced to witness them.