The Light in Hidden Places

The nurses and Stefania have the same schedule, so it’s hard for Stefania to feed the Jews. Helena takes the bathroom bucket down as soon as they go, and two of the 13 go downstairs to stretch and make food for the others. Stefania cooks for Karin and Ilse, and Karin slaps Helena for leaving a fire in the stove.

Max grows skinnier and gets fleas. He gives Stefania a present: a picture of her and Helena with angel wings. Beneath the wings are the 13 Jews.

At work, Januka tells a story about a woman hiding Jews in her attic. She had a pipe running from the attic to the outside. The pipe leaked and fouled the downstairs neighbor’s windows. She told the Gestapo, and they shot the Jews, the woman, and her family.

At home, Karin and Ilse use their connections to install electricity. The electricians want to put a post through the attic, but Stefania persuades them to use a window. Karin and Ilse have a radio, and Max, using a stethoscope, hears about Russian advances and German retreats.

One day, an SS man returns home with Karin and Ilse. They want him to look for rats in the attic. Stefania lets him, but the SS man seems afraid of rats and abandons his search.