Summary: November 10, 1942–May 18, 1943

Anne reports that another person would soon be joining the group at the annex, a dentist named Albert Dussel. Although Anne is not happy to share her space—in particular, her room—with a stranger, she understands that this is a sacrifice for a “good cause.”

Upon his arrival, Mr. Dussel is given a handbook containing the rules and regulations of the annex. Among other things, the handbook mentions that speaking German is forbidden, but learning English and French are encouraged. Mr. Dussel updates Anne about the atrocities taking place against Jews in the outside world. He tells her that people are rewarded for reporting Jewish people; she also learns that entire families are taken away in the middle of the night, including the elderly, the sick, and the pregnant. Anne feels grateful to be in hiding, but also guilty. The annex becomes gloomy as the inhabitants learn about the horrors of the outside world.

As days pass by, Anne begins to feel lonely and takes solace in her diary, her friend, Kitty. Soon, the Jewish festival Hanukkah and the Dutch festival of St. Nicholas Day are celebrated in the annex. Hanukkah is less eventful owing to a shortage of candles, which, moreover, could only be lit for ten minutes. Miep and Bep bring gifts for the residents when they visit for dinner on St. Nicholas Day (the first time Anne has celebrated the holiday). Anne also describes the care with which Mr. van Daan prepares sausages. In hilarious detail, she also describes how the dentist, Mr. Dussel, examines the hysterically nervous Mrs. Van Daan’s teeth. To distract themselves, they all talk about what they will do “when the war is over.” Even when they look forward with hope, they do not forget the terrible plight of the people outside who are taken away from their homes each day or are unable to obtain enough food.

In the world at large, the war is having a terrible impact on everyone. Jews are being aggressively sent to camps and separated from their families. Non-Jewish Dutch people live in fear of their sons being sent to German work camps, and everyone is hungry. Anne feels that they are better off inside the annex, and tries not to dwell on her own feelings of misery.

However, it’s not always easy for the cohort to distract themselves from the reality of the world. For instance, the building that houses the annex also houses several offices, and the group is alarmed to learn that it is being sold to a new owner (the offices were only leased from the former owner). Nonetheless, they are finally able to overcome the problem.

When Mr. Dussel’s Christian wife sends him a box of birthday gifts, Anne notices how stingy he is about sharing. She is particularly disgusted by the fact that he never gives gifts to their protectors. Notably, her annoyance with him continues to grow. Meanwhile food is growing scarce everywhere, and Amsterdam is under martial law.

Analysis: November 10, 1942–May 18, 1943

The witty tenor of the rules’ handbook, written by Mr. van Daan, demonstrates how people used humor to deal with their difficult circumstances. It is surprising that speaking German is forbidden in the annex even though it is the native tongue of many residents. This illustrates the identity crisis experienced by German Jews at the time.

News of the outside world makes the residents uncomfortable. Since the families have been in hiding for many months, they are expectedly not aware of how the situation has escalated. Anne, in particular, feels guilty about her comforts and safety while many of her friends are being deported and, perhaps, killed. For a teenager, Anne demonstrates ample empathy and awareness.

Anne also mentions her gratitude to their “protectors,” and it is clear that there is real affection between the protectors and the annex’s residents. The residents’ kindness and eagerness to help are in stark contrast to the atrocities and cruelties of war. It is a comment on how the war is a deeply hateful act, an orchestration of those in power; in other words, the war is not what the common people expect.

Anne, through her eyewitness accounts of the hungry, dirty children in the street—and indeed other details—also gives a sense of just how hard the war is on everyone in Holland.