▁cost ▁of ▁great ness , ▁loss ▁of ▁human ity ▁and ▁so ▁on . ▁Another ▁concern ▁is ▁with ▁the ▁intellectual ▁fall ▁of ▁Germany ▁in ▁the ▁time ▁leading ▁up ▁to ▁World ▁War ▁II . ▁Le verk ü hn ' s ▁own ▁m ood s ▁and ▁ide ology ▁m im ic ▁the ▁change ▁from ▁human ism ▁to ▁ir r ational ▁n ih il ism ▁found ▁in ▁Germany ' s ▁intellectual ▁life ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s . ▁Le verk ü hn ▁becomes ▁increasing ly ▁cor rupt ▁of ▁body ▁and ▁of ▁mind , ▁r idden ▁by ▁sy ph ilis ▁and ▁ins an ity . ▁In ▁the ▁novel , ▁all ▁of ▁these ▁them atic ▁threads ▁– ▁Germany ' s ▁intellectual ▁fall , ▁Le verk ü hn ' s ▁spiritual ▁fall , ▁and ▁the ▁physical ▁cor ruption ▁of ▁his ▁body ▁– ▁directly ▁correspond ▁to ▁the ▁national ▁dis aster ▁of ▁fasc ist ▁Germany . ▁In ▁Mann ' s ▁published ▁version ▁of ▁his ▁ 1 9 3 8 ▁United ▁States ▁lecture ▁tour , ▁The ▁Com ing ▁Vict ory ▁of ▁Dem ocracy , ▁he ▁said , ▁" I ▁must ▁regret fully ▁own ▁that ▁in ▁my ▁younger ▁years ▁I ▁shared ▁that ▁dangerous ▁German ▁habit ▁of ▁thought ▁which ▁regards ▁life ▁and ▁intellect , ▁art ▁and ▁politics ▁as ▁totally ▁separate ▁world s ." ▁He ▁now ▁real ised ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁in separ able . ▁In ▁Dok tor ▁Fa ust us , ▁Le verk ü hn ' s ▁personal ▁history , ▁his ▁art istic ▁development , ▁and ▁the ▁sh ifting ▁German ▁political ▁climate