short novella on the heartbreak of wartime occupation. while places and names are often vague, it emulates life in an anonymous small mining town occupied by Germans in WWII. Steinbeck wrote this in 1942 as a propaganda piece in support of those under Nazi occupation. with the constant reminder that free people cannot remain conquered, Steinbeck showcases the great lengths at which this town and its people raise the stakes in a reality of good versus evil and life versus death.