By accepting the traditional role of women in the Balkans, Ana instilled the belief that she had no right to freedom of movement. In addition to education and a permanent job, she accepts Mark's prohibitions and thus leads herself to self-destruction and severe depression. Marko was present as a child when his stepfather, revolted by his mother's adultery, dealt with his mother and her lover, where, due to a combination of circumstances, Marko's mother, protecting her lover, received a gunshot wound from which she died. Marko grew up, but with permanent traumas that are reflected in his everyday life. Mark is haunted by ghosts from the past that anesthetize and obstruct him in later life, his marriage has led to permanently disrupted relationships.