Family Life / Marriage is another theme of the book. Franz Stangl's love life was virtually perfect—he loved the woman who was first his girlfriend and later his wife. Gitta Sereny states that this is quite obvious. When asked, everyone attests to the fact that he was famously loyal to his wife. While many might find this noble even if they were together all the time, in truth, the couple survived a degree of separation that would have led large numbers of couples to just give up and go their own ways instead.