After reading both volumes of Maus, my opinions of the various characters have essentially remained the same. The only character about which I have not been able to form a concise opinion is Mala. BI can't tell if this is simply because her history is not visually portrayed, and we are only given a glimpse of what she endured during the holocaust, or whether it is a result of her naturally flighty character. In a way, I feel the urge to pity Mala for her situation (as she is essentially stuck in a loveless marriage with Vladek), but also the reader feels a conflicting sense of derision after Mala's abandonment of her ailing, albeit extremely burdensome, husband. I'm wondering if Art Spiegelman intentionally portrayed his stepmother in this way, or if it is merely the fact that the reader is told very little about her.