Seredy presents her anti-war theme by relating some of World War II's tragic consequences, but she never resorts to depicting graphic violence to make her point. She shows how the war affects Michael on a very personal level, and she shows him dealing with an unfortunate situation in a positive way.

Like Hungary itself, Michael becomes an unwitting victim of war, and of Nazi aggression and cruelty. Seredy treats the psychology of enemy occupation with great depth and subtlety. Her purpose is obviously to point out that Hungary was not simply a Nazi puppet state during World War II, but an occupied country whose people managed as well as they could to harass and defeat the enemy from within. Seredy tries to show how difficult and dangerous it was for Michael's father, the Prince, to serve as a double agent, pretending to collaborate with the Nazis...