INTRODUCTION Written between the years 1942 and 1944, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is the

personal diary of a young teenager. It has historical significance because Anne, a Jewish girl forced into hiding,
tells of her experiences during the war. Originally written in Dutch, the diary was entitled “Het Achtehius”. In
English, the literal translation would be “The House Behind,” which refers to the secret annex of the office
building where Anne and her family go into hiding with the van Daans. Eight people shared the attic rooms:
Anne, her mother, her father, her sister (Margot), Mr. and Mrs. van Daan, the van Daan’s son (Peter), and a
dentist named Dussel. The intimate diary captures many details about the annex and its occupants. With strong
emotion, it also tells about the girl’s fears about the war and the turmoil she undergoes as part of growing up.
Additionally, she makes remarkable observations about human nature.
PART I: JUNE 14, 1942 to JULY 9, 1942 :----Summary The entries dated from June 14th to July 5th are
written in Anne’s home in Amsterdam, Holland, where she spends her last few weeks of freedom under almost
normal circumstances. Anne, a fun-loving girl who enjoys life, has just turned thirteen. She writes about the
various presents she was given for her birthday. From her father, she received a diary (which was really an
autograph book) with a red-checkered cover; this special gift is her favorite present. She has decided to tell
about her life in daily entries into the diary, knowing that “paper is more patient than man.” She hopes the diary
will become a substitute for having a real friend and will make her feel less lonely; therefore, she calls the diary
“Kitty.” Most of the opening entries give a brief history of Anne’s life. She tells that she was born in Frankfurt,
Germany, where she lived until the family moved to Holland to escape from Hitler and the Nazis, who had
overtaken Germany. One of the early entries, dated June 20, 1942, explains how the conditions for Jewish
people are worsening. With remarkable detachment and a seeming lack of emotion, she jots down the various
restrictions put on Jews, including the following:

i) Jews must wear a yellow star to identify them from others.

ii) Jews must hand in their bicycles, which will be given to soldiers and policemen.
iii) Jews must not travel by train and are forbidden to drive.
iv) Jews must shop only in Jewish shops and only from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
v) Jews must stay indoors after 8:00 p.m.
vi) Jews must not visit the theatre, the cinema, or sporting events.
vii) Jews must not visit Christians.
viii) Jews must go to Jewish schools.

In spite of their feelings of uncertainty and fear, Anne and her family try to make the most of their restricted
existence. The spunky teenager says that things are bearable, even though she was forced to leave her Dutch
school in 1941, when Hitler occupied Holland. Anne also tells about her grief over losing her grandmother in
January of 1942. She writes, “No one will ever know how much she is present in my thoughts and how much I
love her still”. Anne goes on to tell about her school, which continues in the entry dated June 21. She admits
that she has a very talkative nature and tells about a punishment she received. Her teacher required her to write
an essay on being an “incurable chatter box.” But Anne is also a good student. On Sunday morning, July 5,
Anne writes how well she has done on her school exams. She claims that her sister, Margot, is the truly brainy
one in the family, but Anne is proud of her own grades. Anne also expresses an interest in boys. She specifically
talks about Peter Wessel, on whom she seems to have a crush. Anne also writes about her father. Since Jewish
men are no longer allowed to do business, Mr. Frank whiles away his time at home, while his Dutch partners
manage the firm. Anne tells how she and her father share a strong bond. Otto Frank trusts his teenage daughter
enough to tell her about his plans of taking the family into hiding. The news makes Anne anxious.

PART II: THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1942 - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER

9, 1942

Summary On July 9, 1942, Anne and Margot are told to hurriedly stuff their things into their school
satchels, for it is time for the family to go into hiding. Margot, Anne’s older sister, has been summoned to work
in a concentration camp. Although their departure date had been set for July 16, Otto Frank, out of fear for his
daughter’s safety, moves the date up by a week. As the Franks walk to their hiding place, carrying a few
belongings in shopping bags, it will be the last time that they are out in the open air and free to walk about. It is
appropriate that it is raining outside, a foreshadowing of the misery they will endure. For the next twenty-five
months, before they are discovered and seized by the Nazis, they will live in fear, sharing the close quarters of
the secret annex with another Jewish family, the van Daans. The diary entries from July 9 to November 12 deal
with four main topics: 1) a discussion of the secret annex and its occupants; 2) their connection with the outside
world, including their source of supplies; 3) Anne’s concern about the concentration camps and gas chambers;
and 4) the turmoil of being an adolescent, made more difficult by the trying circumstances under which she
lives. In the entry on July 9, Anne draws a sketch of the annex and tells how the secret hiding place in the office
building is covered up by a cupboard. There are only a few rooms, and the quarters are cramped. Anne notes
that her mother and sister feel too terrible to work, but Anne tries to remain cheerful as she and her father
unpack and arrange things. It seems that she does not really understand the danger that she and her family are
under. At first, it seems almost like a vacation to Anne, as if they were staying in some boarding house. Two
days later, in the entry dated July 11, Anne is beginning to struggle with her new life and to acknowledge her
fears. She tells how the family has forbidden Margot to cough at night, for fear of discovery. She also writes, “I
can’t tell you how oppressive it is never to be able to go outdoors; also I’m very afraid that we shall be
discovered and be shot.” She also talks about her Dutch protectors, the men who work downstairs in the office
building. After the July 11th entry, Anne does not write in the diary for more than a month. By the time she
continues to make her entries, the van Daans have arrived to stay in the secret annex, bringing news of the
outside world. Anne states that Peter, their awkward, quiet, and shy son, will not be good company for her, even
though he is only two years older than she. Ironically, they later develop and a close and loving friendship.
Anne also points out that Mrs. van Daan is a difficult and picky woman. She complains that the group is using
the dishes belonging to the Franks rather than the ones belonging to her. She also fusses at Anne for talking too
much and does not help much with the cleaning. Although living in a small, damp, dark dwelling is boring and
miserable, Anne accepts that it is necessary. She knows that she cannot fret or worry about the living
conditions; the only thing that is important is survival . Life grows more tense, however, with the presence of
the new arrivals. Anne hates that she must witness a terrible quarrel over a trivial thing between Mr. and Mrs.
van Daan and the affect it has on Peter. She also resents that Mrs. van Daan is always criticizing her behavior
and saying, “I wouldn’t put up with it if she were my daughter.” In addition, she dislikes the fact that all of the
van Daans seem a bit lazy to her, especially Peter. Anne also finds her own mother and sister difficult to bear,
for they are always correcting her and telling her she must be quiet. She writes, “Mummy gave me another
frightful sermon this morning; I can’t bear them. Our ideas are completely opposite.” Later she states,
“Margot’s and Mummy’s natures are completely strange for me.” Her disagreements with her mother and sister
intensify her adolescent rebelliousness. She writes, “Nothing, I repeat, nothing about me is right; my general
appearance, my character, my manners are discussed from A to Z. . . .I am not going to take all these insults
lying down. I’ll show them that Anne Frank wasn’t born yesterday.” She goes on to say in a later entry, “I have
my faults, just like everyone else, I know that, but they thoroughly exaggerate everything.” Her emotions are
not atypical for a teenage girl, especially one confined to a small space with an anxious mother and quibbling
sister. In spite of the misery that she often feels because of the way she is treated by her mother, her sister, and
Mrs. van Daan. Anne tries to make the best of it. She says, “You only really get to know people when you’ve
had a jolly good row with them. Then and then only can you judge their true characters.” She also feels thankful
that Mrs. van Daan is not her mother. In contrast to her feelings about her mother and sister, Anne feels that
“Daddy is a darling.” Otto Frank does, indeed, prove that he is caring, resourceful, and wise. He serves as the
peacemaker of the group, “pouring oil on troubled waters.” He keeps Anne, Margot, and Peter engaged in
studying, reading, and making family trees. He also tries to comfort Anne. Beginning with the entries dated
September 28, Anne writes detailed and matter-of-fact accounts of everything the family does and every
problem it faces under the confined circumstances of their lives. In the entry on September 29, she even gives a
description of how, where, and when each member takes a bath. She also talks about the unhygienic conditions
and their being forced to use a glass jar as a toilet bowl until they can find a plumber they can trust with their
secret. Another time they cannot speak a single word, move about, or bathe for three days for fear of being
detected. Anne also writes about good things. She tells of Mrs. van Daan’s birthday party, one of the few
celebrations that are given in the annex. She also tells about how she and Margot receive sack-like skirts that
cost 24 florins each, three times more than pre-war prices. Additionally, Anne reveals that she and her sister
will soon begin a correspondence course for short hand. Very few of the entries in “Kitty” mention life outside
the annex or the fate of other Jews in Amsterdam. The family only receives selected news from Miep, Elli,
Koophuis, and Kraler, their “Dutch protectors;” the worst information about the fate of Jewish people is always
kept from them. Then Mr. and Mrs. Frank only share a small portion of what they learn with their daughters, for
they do not want to make them worried or afraid. On October 9, Anne does reveal that she knows about Jewish
imprisonments. She writes about Westerbork, a Jewish camp where thousands of her race are brought in large
cattle trucks by the Gestapo. She states, “Westerbork sounds terrible. . .Men, women and children all sleep
together. One hears of frightful immorality because of this; and a lot of the women, and even the girls who stay
there any length of time, are expecting babies.” She also acknowledges that it is impossible for the Jews to
escape and that many of them are murdered, usually by gassing. Anne, always trying to find something positive
in the negative, states that at least a gas chamber is a quick way to die. One night Miep and Henk come to the
secret annex and stay for the night. Anne is excited to have company; it is a change from the monotonous
routine. She relates a sad tale told by Miep. An old, crippled Jewess, terrified by all the shooting, was sitting at
her doorstep simply waiting for the Gestapo to take her away to the crematorium. The family also learns how
prisoners are lined up against a wall and shot dead. The next day the Germans say their deaths were “fatal
accidents.” After the Franks hear stories such as these, they are silent and filled with a sense of helplessness and
dread. They acknowledge that the Nazis are horrendous enemies and wonder if it is hopeless to hope against
hope for their own safety. Anne tells of two frightening experiences. The occupants of the annex are not warned
that some workmen are coming to check the fire extinguishers. Upon hearing outsiders, they fear that they have
been discovered and that the intruders are Nazis. Even after they discover the truth and know they are safe,
Anne shakes with fear for almost two hours. A second frightful experience is when Otto Frank becomes very ill.
No medical help can be called, for it would be too dangerous. Mrs. Frank tells her daughters to pray for their
father’s recovery. The prayers are answered. Anne’s problems with Margot and her mother constantly fluctuate.
In one entry she writes that “Mummy, Margot, and I are as thick as thieves again.” She even tells how she and
her sister share their diaries and talk about their appearance. Later, her feelings again change and she complains,
“Mummy and her failings are something I find harder to bear than anything else. . . . I have in my mind’s eye an
image of what a perfect mother and wife should be. . .and I find no trace of that image [in her]. . . Sometimes I
believe that God wants to try me. . . and I must become good through my own efforts, without examples and
without good advice.” Anne is also certain that her mother loves Margot best, for Anne believes her sister is
more beautiful, intelligent, and talented than she is, even though she claims that she is not jealous of her. As a
result of her feelings about her mother and sister, Anne continues to turn to her father for comfort. She states, “I
cling to Daddy because it is only through him that I am able to retain the remnant of family feeling.” She also
admits that she longs for his love, “not only as his child, but for me - Anne, myself.” Within these entries in the
diary, Anne does much soul-searching and self-criticism. She always sees faults in herself and wants to find
ways to be a better person. She writes, “Every day I try to improve myself, again and again.” She also admits
that she is fed up with living in the cramped quarters with no escape. It is not surprising that she often cries
herself to sleep at night. She is, however, at least thankful to have her diary, for she feels she can write her
deepest thoughts within its pages; she even personifies the diary as her friend and confidante.

The Diary of Anne Frank Major Characters

Anne Frank: Anne Frank is the narrator and the writer of the diary. She is thirteen when she begins writing.
Anne is very outspoken, and before moving into the Secret Annex, she was very popular at school with both the
boys and the girls. She loves to read and to study, and she wants to be a writer when she grows up. Margot
Frank: Anne’s sister, Margot is three years older than Anne, and seems quieter and more serious than Anne.
She, too, keeps a diary. She and Anne grow closer throughout the course of their hiding, but it is with Peter that
Anne shares her hopes and fears. Margot gets on better with their parents, and Anne feels pressure to be good
and sweet like her. Daddy (Otto Frank): Anne’s father is the manager of a firm before they go into hiding. He
is the one who arranges for their hiding place. He is modest, quiet, and generally low-key. She has a very close
relationship with him and gives him the nickname 'Pim.' He teaches her English, French, and algebra, among
other subjects, and she loves to learn. Mummy (Edith Frank): Anne is not nearly as close with her mother as
she is with her father. She finds her mother cold and often condescending. She has an idea of what the perfect
mother should be—and Mummy does not fit the image. It upsets her that Mummy always takes Margot’s side,
and seems to prefer her. Peter Van Daan: Peter Van Daan is the fifteen-year-old son of the Van Daan family,
the other family who is hiding in the Secret Annex with the Franks. Anne at first finds him boring and weak, but
they begin to talk, and to open up to each other, and they form a strong bond. Anne falls in love with Peter, and
he probably falls in love with her in return. He gives her her first kiss. Eventually, though, she gets frustrated
with him because he does not like religion, and because she feels like he is clinging to her. He does not even try
to improve his weak nature, because he finds it easier not to make the effort. Anne, who finds herself in a
constant state of internal conflict and self-improvement, cannot respect this. Petronella Van Daan: Mrs. Van
Daan is one of the eight people hiding in the Secret Annex. She is Peter’s mother. She is desperately jealous of
the bond between Anne and her son, and she wishes that he would talk to her more. She and Anne do not get
along at all. She criticizes Anne for being so outspoken, and Anne writes of Mrs. Van Daan frequently in the
diary to complain about how spoiled and frivolous she is and how she flirts with Mr. Frank. However, at one
point, Anne notices that she is easier to talk to than Mummy, because she is not cold. Hans Van Daan : Mr.
Van Daan is Peter’s father. He is one of the adults who often criticizes Anne. Albert Dussel: Mr. Dussel shares
Anne’s room. He enters the Secret Annexe last. He was a dentist before going into hiding. At first, Anne likes
him, but then he shows his true colors and is close-minded and stubborn and criticizes her. Sometimes she does
things intentionally to annoy him.

Minor Characters

Jopie de Waal: One of Anne’s best girl friends before she goes into hiding. Miep Gies: Married to Henk Gies,
she helps hide the Franks, Van Daans, and Dussel in her warehouse. She is cheerful and often brings them gifts.
At Christmas, she decorates a basket and fills it with presents. Peter Wessel: Peter Wessel is a young man on
whom Anne has big crush. She fantasizes about marrying him and dreams of him touching her cheek. She hopes
that they will find each other again one day when she gets out of hiding. Henk: Henk is Miep’s husband.
Koophuis: Koophuis is one of the men that Anne’s father works with at his firm. He has various abdominal
operations while they are in hiding, and is often unable to visit them for weeks at a time. Elli: Elli is the typist at
Anne’s father’s office, where they are hiding. She helps bring them food, and visits them often. She is very
cheerful. Kraler: Kraler is one of the men that Anne’s father works with at his firm. Lies Goosens: Lies
Goosens is one of Anne’s best friends before she goes into hiding. She is also Jewish. Anne dreams of her, and
feels terrible remorse for ever having judged her. She feels powerless to help Lies, and wonders why she has
been chosen to live while Lies has been sent off to a concentration camp. Sanne Houtman: Sanne Houtman is
one of Anne’s best friends before she goes into hiding. Granny: Granny is Otto Frank’s mother. She comes to
live with the Franks when they first move to Holland, and she dies there before the diary begins. Anne still
thinks of her often, and she misses her very much. She has a dream of Granny, and feels intense guilt and
remorse for how lonely Granny must have been and how much she must have suffered. Grandmother:
Grandmother is Mummy’s mother. Keptor: Keptor is Anne’s math teacher. He gives her extra work for talking
during class, until she eventually wins him over with her witty essays and becomes one of his favored students.
Harry Goldberg: Harry Goldberg is a sixteen-year-old boy who likes Anne. He walks her to school every day
and even comes to meet her parents. He has been going out with a dull girl named Fanny, but he forgets about
her when he gets to know Anne. His grandparents think that Anne is too young for him, and want him to date
Fanny. He goes behind his grandparents’ backs to date Anne, and also to attend meetings of the Zionist
movement. Fanny: Fanny was going out with Harry Goldberg, but he broke off the relationship when he started
to spend time with Anne. Vossen: Vossen is another one of Otto Frank’s business associates. He is diagnosed
with cancer while they are in the Secret Annexe.

Tuesday, 10 November, 1942Anne tells Kitty that they are going to take in an eighth person, since conditions
for Jews are getting worse. Daddy wouldn't accept any more Van Daans, so they take in a dentist named Albert
Dussel. He will sleep in Anne's room.
Thursday, 12 November, 1942Dussel wants to wait a couple of days and settle his accounts before
disappearing, which Anne thinks is pretty crazy.

Tuesday, 17 November, 1942Dussel is shocked to see the Franks, thinking they were in Belgium. He is
impressed with the Secret Annexe, and they give him a copy of the rules and guidelines for living in the
Annexe, such as speaking softly, fat-free diet, lessons, small pets, mealtimes, bathing, and radio.

Thursday, 19 November, 1942Anne finds Dussel pleasant, and understands that she must sacrifice some of her
privacy to hide him. Dussel tells them the Germans are deporting entire families. Anne writes:

"I feel wicked sleeping in a warm bed, while my dearest friends have been knocked down or have fallen into a
gutter somewhere out in the cold night. I get frightened when I think of close friends who have now been
delivered into the hands of the cruelest brutes that walk the earth. And all because they are Jews!"

Friday, 20 November, 1942When Miep brings them news about the fates of their friends, Mummy and Mrs.
Van Daan cry, so she does not tell them much anymore. But they still have fun together, and Anne says that
there is no point in having a "Secret Annexe of Gloom."

Saturday, 28 November, 1942They have used more than their ration of electricity, and as a result must not use
any for two weeks. Anne has also discovered that Mr. Dussel is old-fashioned. She is confused by all the
criticism she is receiving from everyone. She falls asleep sometimes wishing she were different. She apologizes
for confusing Kitty, advising her to disregard the confusion.

Monday, 7 December, 1942They celebrate Chanukah with not much fuss. Christmas Eve, Miep decorates a
large basket, which contains presents for all of them. Anne has never before celebrated Christmas, and finds it a
wonderful introduction.

Thursday, 10 December, 1942They buy a lot of meat to preserve. They make a funny, chaotic mess making
sausages. Dussel tries to be a dentist for Mrs. Van Daan, who throws a fit, driving the instrument even further
into her tooth. Anne says it looks like a scene from "A Quack at Work."

Sunday, 13 December, 1942Anne watches the dirty people walking outside. She and Margot decide that even
if they were to clean them, by the next day they would be just as dirty again. She sees Jews outside and feels
guilty.

Tuesday, 22 December, 1942Mrs. Van Daan has a bruised rib and is milking the injury. Dussel does silly
exercises, which keep Anne awake. She writes that she spends so much of her brainpower learning to be good
that she won't have any left after the war.

The Diary of Anne Frank January/February/March 1943

Wednesday, 13 January, 1943

Anne is upset to see more people being dragged off and separated and sent off to camps or the war. She writes
that she and the others in hiding are the lucky ones.

Topic Tracking: Holocaust 11

Friday, 30 January, 1943

Anne wishes that people would accept her nature as God made it.
Friday, 5 February, 1943

Anne is constantly contrasted with the more mature Margot. They laugh at Mrs. Van Daan's nonsense regarding
what to say when flirting.

Wednesday, 10 March, 1943

Anne is very afraid of the sounds of the guns and planes, and seeks her father's comfort. Mrs. Van Daan
fearsburglars in the house, but it is only rats. Peter gets bitten.

Friday, 12 March, 1943

The members of the Secret Annexe are eating so many beans that Anne can't stand them anymore. She is
reading a book about the war, writing, and the emancipation of women, and she is not very interested. She has
grown out of all her shoes.

Thursday, 18 March, 1943

Turkey has entered the war and there is great excitement.

Friday, 19 March 1943

Turkey is not in the war after all. Anne hears of the terrible conditions of a German soldier who is excited to be
interviewed by the Fuhrer.

Thursday, 25 March, 1943

Noises in the warehouse make them paranoid and none of them sleep well.

Topic Tracking: Holocaust 12

Saturday, 27 March, 1943

Anne is excited about learning mythology and everybody thinks it is crazy. Mr. Dussel is making a fuss out of a
minor cold. There has been an order to deport all Jews out of the German-occupied territories before July 1.
Anne gets nightmares thinking about all the people being sent to slaughterhouses. There is some good news:
saboteurs have gotten into the German Labor Exchange and destroyed important papers.

The Diary of Anne Frank April/May/June 1943

Thursday, 1 April, 1943

Koophuis has had a hemorrhage of the stomach, Elli has the flu, and Mr. Vossen has an ulcer. Daddy sends
Kraler to a meeting in his place, and Anne, Margot and Daddy listen in.

Friday, 2 April, 1943

Anne refuses to say her prayers with Mummy, upsetting her greatly. Anne feels sorry for her, but she did not
know that Mummy would be upset by the coldness with which she herself treats Anne. Anne is indifferent, and
remains aloof because it is her true feelings.
Topic Tracking: Family 12

Tuesday, 27 April, 1943

Everyone is angry. Anne cannot sleep because of air raids, and they are eating terribly-dry bread and ersatz
coffee for breakfast, and spinach and rotten potatoes for dinner.

Saturday, 1 May, 1943

"If I just think of how we live here, I usually come to the conclusion that it is a paradise compared with how
other Jews who are not in hiding must be living." Saturday, 1 May, 1943, pg. 71 She is amazed at the level to
which their manners have sunk. Anne packs a bag in case they have to escape, but realizes there is nowhere to
escape to.

Topic Tracking: Optimism 7

Topic Tracking: Holocaust 14

Tuesday, 18 May, 1943

Students must sign that they are in sympathy with the Germans and that if they do not, as eighty percent have
not, they are sent to labor camps. Mrs. Van Daan causes a ruckus, thinking the house is on fire. Mr. Dussel
makes them all laugh by inviting the frantic Mrs. Van Daan into his bed. They laugh and forget about their
fears.

Topic Tracking: Optimism 8

Sunday, 13 June, 1943

Daddy writes her a birthday poem, which is both an apology for the conditions under which they are living and
an ode to her optimistic spirit.

Topic Tracking: Family 13

Topic Tracking: Optimism 9

Tuesday, 15 June, 1943

Mr. Vossen has cancer. They will have to hand in their big radio as it is too conspicuous, but they will get
another, smaller one.

The Diary of Anne Frank July/August 1943

Sunday, 11 July, 1943

Anne is upset at the criticism she receives even when she tries to be good. She and Margot are doing office
work. She writes about how much books and radio mean to her.

Tuesday, 13 July, 1943

She asks Dussel politely if she can use their little table, but he refuses. Anne negotiates persistently and is
surprised with how small-minded he is for an adult.
Friday, 16 July, 1943

Burglars steal money, sugar coupons, and checkbooks from the offices downstairs. Luckily, nothing is taken
from the Secret Annexe.

Monday, 19 July, 1943

Anne is horrified to hear of the destruction of North Amsterdam, and of all of the deaths and orphans, and she
recalls the sound of the trains headed for the concentration camps.

Topic Tracking: Holocaust 15

Friday, 23 July, 1943

They talk about their first wish for when they are allowed outside again. Margot and Mr. Van Daan: a hot bath,
Mrs. Van Daan: cream cakes, Dussel: his wife, Mummy: coffee, Peter: town and cinema, Daddy: seeing
Vossen, and Anne: a home of her own and school.

Topic Tracking: Optimism 10

Monday, 26 July, 1943

There is a warning siren at breakfast, and a heavy bombing afterwards. Anne cannot sleep until the bombing
and firing stops at two in the morning. She wakes to the news that Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini has
resigned, and that the King of Italy has taken over. This gives them hope for peace.

Thursday, 29 July, 1943

Anne and Dussel fight over a book which he liked but which she and Margot did not like. He says that she has
been brought up wrong and reads unsuitable books and had better hurry up and find a husband.

Tuesday, 3 August, 1943

Political news is good-the Fascist party has been banned in Italy. There is a third air raid. Mrs. Van Daan is
cowardly. Anne complains that her body is stiff and out of shape.

Wednesday, 4 August, 1943

Anne begins to describe an ordinary day in the Annexe, starting in the evening: Nine p.m. they set up beds.
There is creaking and thundering. Anne performs her beauty routine in the bathroom:

"Quickly into dressing gown, soap in one hand, pottie, hairpins, pants, curlers, and cotton wool in the other, I
hurry out of the bathroom; but usually I'm called back once for the various hairs which decorate the washbasin
in graceful curves, but which are not approved of by the next person." Wednesday, 4 August, 1943, pg. 86

Lights out at ten. At half past eleven, Dussel returns from work. Three a.m., Anne goes to the bathroom, Dussel
breathes like a fish out of water, and she hears gunfire and runs to Daddy. They wake at quarter to seven.

Thursday, 5 August, 1943

At half past twelve, Margot and Daddy read, and others clean. At one, they listen to the
radio, and at quarter past one, they eat soup and hear news from Mr. Koophuis.

Monday, 9 August, 1943

The evening meal: Mr. Van Daan takes a lot of food, and is a know-it-all. Madame (Mrs. Van Daan) acts
foolish and flirty. Peter eats like a bottomless pit and is very quiet. Margot eats little. Mummy eats and talks
well. Daddy is unassuming and a great contrast with Dussel, who is nervous and impatient. Elli is always
cheerful and cleans her plate.

Topic Tracking: Family 14

Tuesday, 10 August, 1943

Anne has taken to being quiet at mealtimes so that she is not criticized. Her favorite clocktower bell has stopped
chiming. She has new shoes that are admired by all. Dussel endangers them by asking Miep to bring a forbidden
book criticizing Hitler and Mussolini.

Wednesday, 18 August, 1943

They peel potatoes together. Mrs. Van Daan tries to flirt with Dussel and she also quarrels loudly with Mr. Van
Daan. The Franks try hard not to laugh at them.

Friday, 20 August, 1943

Anne continues the timetable. Half past five, Elli comes to tell them that the warehouse is empty. Quarter to six,
they set up to do their work.

Monday, 23 August, 1943

Quarter to eight in the morning, bathroom routine again, and afterwards a bit of family life, with the Franks all
reading together, and after that, breakfast at nine.