Much has been said about Vanda’s illness – her body twists and turns when it strikes. The sin she is expiating is that of her ancestors – the maternal side in this case – according to the doctrine of Joseph de Maistre as quoted in Initiated, the last part of the Seamy Side of History. This doctrine is the basis for the extraordinary story of the young woman locked up in her luxurious room in Paris and kept from all knowledge of the misery her brother and father hide from her so carefully.