This somewhat forced moral structure is made up for by Ms de Loo's rich evocation of life in the Budapest ghetto and by her ability, in pared-down prose, to convey Kata's and Stefan's own confusions and anxieties.
Point being, if the last three films of the series are more forthcoming about the inherent darkness of its subject matter, does that mean the first film should be somewhat forgiven for its moral cowardice?
In a somewhat cryptic footnote in A Theory of Justice, John Rawls suggested we may possess an analogous moral capacity that accounts for our competence in deploying moral rules.
If we leave our values at the door, we abandon much of the moral glue that has held our nation together for centuries, and allowed us to become somewhat more perfect a union.