Problematic Characters: A Novel

"Problematic Characters: A Novel" by Friedrich Spielhagen is a story set in a castle somewhere in what would most likely be Germany and explores how people struggle and don't always fit in. It tells the story of a young teacher, Oswald Stein, who goes to Castle Grenwitz to teach two brothers, Bruno, who is emotional and hard to control, and Malte, who is shy. When Oswald arrives, the Baron and his family are nice to him, but you can tell things may be tough for them. The Baroness has strong ideas about how the boys should learn and grow up, hinting that there are some problems in the family. Seeing the adults and especially Bruno's strong feelings helps Oswald learn about love, what people expect from each other, and fighting your own battles. The story looks at the characters closely to show how life changes them as they deal with what is around them.