Lamort, naïve and uneducated, doesn’t worry too much about her own well-being because she has a low sense of self-worth. Her grandmother blames her for her mother’s death and is never satisfied with her behavior. Lamort never had a mother, and she is desperate for approval—from her grandmother, Raymond, Emilie, or anyone else. She tries to please her grandmother by living up to her standards of propriety and wishes she could be more experienced and intelligent. She looks up to independent women like Emilie and feels important when she can help them, so she does so eagerly, even when serious risk is involved. Lamort accepts the violent, dangerous state of her world, so courage comes easily to her. She thinks nothing of bravely coming up with excuses to protect Emilie from Toto, the soldier who stops them when they try to go to the churchyard. Emilie’s compliments and dependence on Lamort encourage Lamort to be brave in her personal life as well, and their adventure together empowers her to stand up to her grandmother.