"Setting the Scene (1925)" Summary

Germany is full of unemployment and hardship, including the narrator's father. They live in an apartment in the Resch home, one floor below the reclusive Schneiders. The narrator is born one week before Friedrich Schneider, knows her birth adds a financial burden on her family, but feels wanted. The two sets of parents get to know one another better after these births

"Setting the Scene (1925)" Analysis

The first section determines the action takes place somewhere in Germany after World War I, when the victorious Allies are taking economic vengeance on the losers and introduces us to a cranky landlord and the two families who rent apartments from him.