Advantage and disadvantage
Among the cast of the novel, the defining feature of Sigita and her son is that they are significantly less advantaged in the game of life. Sigita is a living portrait of struggle as she continually suffers hunger and thirst so that her child can survive. Her life is foreboding from the get-go, and she even admits early on that unless she finds something more stable for the child, she fears his abduction. When she loses him, the story flips to the opposite imagery where people with privilege and stability struggle to make sense of the tragedy and trauma happening just below their frame of reference.
Tension and drama
Sigita's experience of life is undeniably tense and dramatic as she imagines the worst about her child. In the midst of the unknown, she must continue, not knowing whether her son is even still alive or not, not knowing what fate might have already befallen him. The son also causes new tension and drama when the plan to get him to Jan Marquat is interrupted. Jucas elevates the stakes by killing Karin, a statement to Nina that her decisions are of a vital importance. With one mistake, someone could die. Also, the emotional stakes are extremely high: an innocent child's life is on the line.
Motherhood and family
It matters to the story that it is a child's life on the line. That might spark a maternal desire for the child's protection in the imagination of the reader, so that the reader gradually empathizes with the mother more and more. The reader's empathy for the mother grows as they learn information that the mother does not know. The mother fears the worst, but the reader actually sees the grim danger of the child's real situation. In the background there are variations on a theme of family, as hopeful fiancees attempt to steal the child and as Jan tries to placate a bereaved wife.
Money and corruption
The emotional landscape of the novel has been discussed, but what of the moral? The concrete imagery which pertains most obviously to morality is money and power. The way money influences the plot is primarily as a catalyst. Whenever money appears in the narrative, the drama of the novel takes a new height. For instance, when Jan hires Jucas to purchase a kidnapped child, Jucas is persuaded by the way money might help him to start his family. He prioritizes his family above other families because of the power money will give him.
