embodying the figure of Amalia and her probable love for Caserta. With the help of Filippo, Delia remembers that it was her who told her father of Amalia's possible affair with Caserta, and comes to understand that she, at age five, had been confused by seeing the two adults and having been harassed herself by Caserta's father. This connects to her complex feelings for her mother, of fear, jealousy, curiosity and sexual revulsion. This and many others are the little secrets that emerge from the fierce introspective analysis that Delia undergoes during the story and, thanks to this, it becomes possible for her to accept her faults and elaborate once and for all the love-hate that he kept her tied to her mother like barbed wire. Main characters Delia: the main character and narrator Amalia: Delia's mother, found dead at the beach in the beginning of the novel Filippo: Amali'a brother, who helps Delia find the truth of her life Nicola Polledro (known as Caserta): a man involved in Amalia's past Antonio Polledro: Caserta's son, Delia's childhood friend Delia's father: Amalia's abusive husband De Riso: Amalia's neighbor Themes Relations between women A peculiarity of the author is, in fact, that of accurately presenting and then dissecting, as deeply as possible, women trapped in difficult lives or situations at the limit of sustainability and endurance. This process is repeated in most of Ferrante's works and stories. The author, in fact, in her novels, presents women of similar origins and characteristics, intertwining their lives with the history of the city of Naples, with episodes of violence embedded in their memories, with a harsh language of which many try to break free. Each female protagonist conceived by Elena Ferrante is forced to confront her own past and present, following a long path of change and rebirth, made possible by strong self-discipline. It is precisely this self-control that leads to the conclusion of the events, in which the main characters arrive at full awareness of themselves and the realization of the ability to face the turmoil of their lives. Psychological break A theme that Elena Ferrante studies carefully is that of psychological collapse In particular, what most captures the author's attention is the inner struggle that characterizes the human mind in its attempt to defend itself from the loss of all certainty and to remain firmly attached to reality. Ferrante defines this type of