Will things change as a result of Mrs. Smith's actions?

Things change for Susan Smith as a result of her actions. She takes in the children even though she has no interest in doing so, she cares for them and helps them the best she can, and she guides them through the war in ways that even she doesn't understand. In the end, she realizes that she has come to see them as her own children, and she goes after them... they are her family.