Act 1 Scene 3 Summary

The scene is 2 months later. The family is sitting in the main room; Margot, Anne, and Peter are doing their lessons. Mrs. Van Daan is sewing the lining of her fur coat, her prized possession, given to her by her father. Mr. Frank is watching through the window to make sure the last of the workers leaves the building before announcing, "school's over," and releasing everyone from their silence and inactivity. They all put on their shoes and start to move about the apartment.

Anne is playing a trick on Peter by hiding his shoes. Peter and Anne wrestle over the shoes, and Peter gets embarrassed and runs off to his room to feed his cat. Anne pouts that she needs some fun after sitting quietly all day. She needs someone to dance with her. She warns they all will forget...