“If Hitler is God, so I am. But it’s obviously more sensible to think neither of us is. More modest too.”
The novel depicts a world where the Nazis won the war thus demonstrates the cult of personality around their leader Hitler. The narrative aims to warn that this reality would yield an authoritarian regime that would oppress its people and deny them freedom. Hitler is depicted as a dictator who becomes a ‘godly’ figure, not simply a human leader anymore, whose true identity is not really known. Thus, the assertion makes a commentary on the fact that the people worship him as a god when he simply a man. Alfred as an opponent of this regime is adamant to spreading the idea that Hitler is as human as any of them.
“You can't really trust any man who is religious. If your interests conflict with the religion the man breaks his word and betrays you and thinks he's right to do so.
In this alternate history, the people have adopted Hitlerism as their religion and therefore Hitler as the god figure. The statement is Alfred’s opinion to his son to highlight how Hitlerism as an example could be used as an excuse for questionable actions. Alfred is vigilant of others in this world where that is the only religion and was molded by problematic notions. The author aims to express the threat that looms in the future being the novel was written before the conclusion of the Second World War.
