As one of the helpers in the Secret Annex and responsible for the daily groceries, Miep could well imagine that the occupants had reason to complain when she brought cabbage for the sixth day running. Yet Miep never heard them grumble.

Of course the hiders, in their uncomfortable situation, had more than enough reason to complain once in a while. They never let the helpers notice their discomfort, but amongst each other they could sometimes hardly contain their frustration. Besides the poor quality and repetitiveness of the food, the heat in the spring of 1944 was another cause for some eruptions.