f's only source of
money was to sell his house to Anton Trendellsohn's father, who for many
years has allowed Josef and Nina to remain in the house without paying
any rent. Nina's Christian relatives use every form of deceit in their
attempt to turn Anton against Nina. Nina's Aunt Sophie spews invective
in every direction. She tells Nina, "Impudent girl!--brazen-faced,
impudent, bad girl! Do you not know that you would bring disgrace upon
us all?" To Nina's father she says, "Tell me that at once, Josef,
that I may know. Has she your sanction for--for--for this accursed
abomination?" To her husband she says, "Oh, I hate them! I do hate them!
Anything is fair against a Jew." And during a meeting with Anton she
exclaims, "How dares he come here to talk of his love? It is filthy--it
is worse than filthy--it is profane."

Anton's family also opposes the marriage, but Anton's father's behavior
toward Nina is in sharp contrast to that of her aunt:

The old man's heart was softened towards her. He could not bring
himself to say a word to her of direct encouragement, but he
kissed her before she went, telling her that she was a good girl,
and bidding her have no care as to the house in the Kleinseite. As
long as he lived, and her father, her father should not be
disturbed.

Anton, being more a businessman than a lover, at times behaves
insensitively toward Nina. Otherwise, throughout the novel, the Jewish
characters act with honesty and kindness. Even the Jewish maiden who
wants to marry Anton does not scheme to break up his engagement to Nina
but rather befriends Nina and eventually saves her life. One has to
wonder whether Trollope intended this contrast to induce his readers to
reconsider their prejudices. Consider his perception of his duty as a
writer:

. . . And the criticism [of my work offered by Hawthorne],
whether just or unjust, describes with wonderful accuracy the
purport that I have ever had in view in my writing. I have always
desired to 'hew out some lump of the earth', and to make men and
women walk upon it just as they do walk here among us,--with not
more of excellence, nor with exaggerated baseness,--so that my
readers might recognise human beings like to themselves, and not
feel themselves to be carried away among gods or demons. If I
could do this, then I thought I might succeed in impregnating the
mind of the novel-reader