The story is told from the third party omniscient point of view, which means that the reader can experience everything that happens in the story as well as be privy to the thoughts and attitudes of the main characters. The thoughts of Dr. Heine and the doctor's wife are readily available, while the doctor's thoughts are never really revealed.

The doctor's wife senses the possible problems of having a Jewish doctor in their home as soon as she meets Dr. Heine, while the doctor prefers to express himself in the physical ways of creating the puppets and setting the swastika fires. The chasm between Dr. Heine and the doctor's family is realized quite early, and Dr. Heine wishes to return to the company of intellectuals he left behind in Vienna. The author uses this example to deride the Nazi sympathizers in Austria symbolized by the...