This story is somewhat difficult to reign in, but luckily, Juliet's professional career helps to bridge the gap between the novel's various subject matters. For instance, her work of elevating spirits during the Second World War were helpful enough to earn her a public voice which she uses for interacting with human literature. Perhaps the thesis here might be that one way of responding to the horror of the human experience (especially during times like WWII) could be to choose a deliberately humorous approach to life.
The communications between characters and their favorite books is illustrative of this point. Their points of view are aligned to their favorite books, so by sharing those points of view, they share their own perspectives. That means that in the book, books are a symbol for the self. A book matters most to a person when they are encouraged by the story's similarity to their own point of view. This elaborate motif points the reader back toward Juliet's own writing.
Juliet chose to respond to the horror of WWII by writing humorous anecdotes. This helped her community to find hope by reminding them of human resilience. Instead of seeing humor as a defense mechanism, Juliet uses it as a public service. The fallout of the war shapes the community in the aftermath, as Juliet and friends seek to continue in their lives, perhaps settling down if they can find a spouse. Even here, Juliet's challenge is to confront the difficulty of life, the damage caused by WWII, and the pain of existential crisis, all while upholding her commitment to levity, joy, and optimism.
