When all of the guests lose hope of surviving, Anne thinks of the bright future "...sitting on school benches next October", making her, "feel far too cheerful." (Frank, 265) She never lost hope that she would lead a better life, even till the end. By Anne having the courage to dream of living a normal life enabled her to maintain a relatively normal temperament in an extraordinary situation.

Unlike Frank, Anne is more dependent on others for food, shelter and comfort. A woman named "Elle comes to give [the family] evening freedom and food", (Frank, 106) everyday to help the two families survive. Anne and her family are unable to walk, talk or any other commonality of living. They are all dependent on this woman to keep them alive. Anne experiences emotional discomfort and shares the thought in her journal, "...I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart", (Frank, 131) to relieve inner pain. Although Anne dislikes Peter, the other family's son who shares the attic with the Franks, she finds a common bond with him by sharing emotional tension. In the beginning of the "Secret Annexe", she confides in him and shares her feelings towards the eight people living under extraordinary conditions. As the days go by Anne begins to depend more and more on Peter for comfort. If Peter were to lack the gift of comfort, Anne would be left with no one to discuss her inner feelings, causing her to become isolated and miserable like the rest of the family. The consequences of these actions would lead to the loss of hope, loss of survival and depression.

Frank, unlike Anne, was able to take action to further his survival. Frank, with an empty stomach states, "I feel sorry for the rich people who will get up in the morning and go to the door and find their bread missing but I can't let myself starve to death." (McCourt, 109) Frank is willing to sacrifice his own pride to keep himself and his family alive. By stealing and picking coal up from the ground shows how determined he is to find a job so his, "...mother wouldn't have to be a beggar at the Redemptorist priests' house." (McCourt, 261) Although living in poverty and being surrounded by death, Frank manages to keep his head high and say, "I know that someday I'll be a rich Yank and send home hundreds of dollars and my family will never have to worry..." (McCourt, 334) The wishful thinking of Frank McCourt drives him to keep faith even in the worst conditions. By having a dream of being able to provide more for his family gives Frank the motivation to one day

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1728
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)