Grumbles

The hiders always tried to be as bright and cheerful as possible, whenever they saw their helpers. Complaints were never heard. Nevertheless, there was enough cause to grumble, and once in a while they vented their frustrations without restraint, yet always outside the hearing of the helpers. Below are some quotations from the writings of Anne Frank and Miep Gies about gripes and groans, or the lack thereof.

As one of the helpers in the Secret Annex and responsible for the daily groceries, Miep could well imagine that the occupants had reason to complain when she brought cabbage for the sixth day running. Yet Miep never heard them grumble.

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Of course the hiders, in their uncomfortable situation, had more than enough reason to complain once in a while. They never let the helpers notice their discomfort, but amongst each other they could sometimes hardly contain their frustration. Besides the poor quality and repetitiveness of the food, the heat in the spring of 1944 was another cause for some eruptions.

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