The entire book led up to the murder of the famous Mirabal sisters, which also put into perspective the oppression of these people. Not only does this book give the reader an insight into the life of a citizen of the Dominican Republic between the 1930s and 1960s, but it shows how an oppressive government could affect the population in both negative and positive ways, using the sisters as examples. Obviously, the negative aspects included the imprisonment and death of citizens by their own government. In a situation like this, fear was present in everyone, whether or not they were brave enough to join the resistance. Families were torn apart, as the book shows. Minerva, Maria Teresa and their husbands, along with Patria's husband, were torn from their children, home, church and family and imprisoned for opposing the government. Alvarez vividly describes the pain families felt when they were broken apart. In prison, sisters and husbands were also physically ill. They were starving and diagnosed with pneumonia, which was not unheard of.