Where do the writers find their strength in the story, The Twenty-seventh Man?

Though clearly destined for the firing squad, the members of the literati remain defiant of their Soviet captors. They continue to debate the best strategy for uncovering Stalin's hypocrisy. The foundation for their strength, of course, lies in their religious faith. The characters in the story remain confident that they lie on the right side and that their persecutors will suffer after their deaths. When arrested, one of the writers says to his guards, "I did not say you were without orders. I said that you have to bear responsibility." Only by relying on God's power to punish can Jews remain sane in the face of the religious persecution suffered throughout their history.