Dead silence (metaphor)
The building in which Marta Hillers meets her friend Ilse is “safe and sound, but locked shut and dead”. Of course, the house cannot be dead. Marta Hillers uses the metaphor to describe the building as the most peaceful place in Berlin. There is dead silence in this house, which is not peculiar to the war.
Evil beast (simile)
Marta Hillers and other German women do not feast, when Soviet soldiers hold them captive. “The hunger is gnawing away at Marta like a savage beast.” This means that she is constantly hungry and the hunger harms her health. The hunger kills her.
Helpless animal (simile)
“Like an animal backing into his lair,” Marta crept into one room at a time, always on the lookout, ready to beat a hasty retreat. Therefore, she behaves, when the soldiers are going to desecrate her tough honor. Marta hides like a helpless animal, which is in search of safety.
