When the war was over and we had peace at last, they came back to their beloved sister

‘When the resistance movement began secretly to form they were among the first to join. When the war was over and we had peace at last, they came back to their beloved sister.’ 

(a) Who are the “they” referred to here?

(b) Why did they join the resistance movement?

(c) What had happened to their sister? 

Answer :

(a) Here ‘they’ refers to the two brothers, Nicola and Jacopo. 

(b) They joined the resistance movement because the war waged by Germany had destroyed their family. It had killed their father. Their house had been destroyed and the war had separated them

from their sister. 

(c) Their sister, Lucia, who wanted to be a singer, had tuberculosis of the spine due to cold and starvation.