This year of endless winter had brought out the worst in people—I’d seen men and women behave like savage beasts. But also I’d seen acts of bravery, selflessness, and incredible compassion in the darkest of circumstances. Take Katinka’s neighbor—he never would have given a damn about a rabbit before. Suffering changes you. Either you become cold and bitter, divorced from human feeling. Or the opposite occurs, and you can’t bear to inflict the pain you’ve felt on anyone else.
