The Transcendent Value of Humanity

This is the diary's central theme, manifesting in several aspects. The first, and most apparent, is the way in which the Marchesa seems to respond to anyone and everyone who comes to her for help. Marchesa discusses the treatment of children, their parents, the elderly, partisans fighting German occupation, Germans deserting their army, Italians en route for home, tenant farmers, refugees from bombed-out cities, strangers and friends alike. The treatment each receives springs from the Marchesa's essential belief that every human being ultimately deserves to be treated with, and to live in, dignity, integrity and freedom. A related manifestation of this theme can be seen in the emphasis her diary places on stories of those who act in a similar way, in particular Catholic nuns and priests who give refuge to Jews and families who provide refuge for their men who refuse to fight...