Quote 34
A huge commotion in the Annex! Is this really the beginning of the long-awaited liberation? The liberation we’ve all talked about so much, which seems too good, too much of a fairy tale ever to come true? Will this year, 1944, bring us victory? We don’t know yet. But where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again. (6/6/1944.8)
Despite months of despair and bad news, the good news stirs hope and strength again.
Quote 35
It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are good at heart.
It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. (7/15/1944.12-13)
Ultimately, despite the horrors of war, Anne reaffirms her belief in the essential goodness of mankind.
Quote 36
Whenever I go upstairs, it’s always so I can see "him." Now that I have something to look forward to, my life here has improved greatly. (2/18/1944.1)
Some readers believe that Anne begins to explore her new feelings for Peter van Daan out a need for something pleasant in her life rather than out of genuine interest in him. Even if that’s true, they learn to comfort each other in a time of great need. That might not be a Hollywood romance, but it sounds like some kind of love to us.