The Necessity of Love

One of the central loving relationships in the novel is the platonic sibling relationship between twins Lenny and Miriam, and the loyalty integral to this relationship demonstrates how mutual love and understanding are essential to surviving harrowing situations. This idea is first established in Chapter 2 when Miriam helps Lenny escape the violent anti-Semitic mob that is chasing him. After Miriam helps him in this way, Lenny feels a surge of brotherly love towards Miriam as expressed by the narration, “Flesh of his flesh, his twin sister” (10). This relationship then continues throughout the twins’ time in the hospital, which comprises the largest portion of the overall narrative. At first, Lenny panics when he thinks that hospital protocols will separate him from Miriam, but the twins soon begin to spend as much time together as possible. Moreover, Lenny helps administer the illegally acquired streptomycin to...