Houses, now abandoned and empty, are being boarded up in Besence of the Ormányság. "Only-childism" is in fashion, due to the law that provides for the way in which landed properties are inherited. The birth of children that are "not desirable" is being prevented through illegal medical intervention, which is often responsible for the death of pregnant women. The happiness of János and Julis are also the victims of this attitude: their parents would not hear of another child.