“In those simple-minded times,” says the author of the novel, “life was a miracle and a deep mystery. Man walked the earth in trepidation and fear, for Heaven was very close above his head, and Hell was hiding very close under his feet. And he saw the hand of God in everything - in the rainbow, and in the comet, and in thunder, and in the wind. Well, the devil was openly rampaging on earth. <…> The vile Enemy of the human race always lurked behind a person’s shoulder, whispering dark thoughts to him, pushing him to commit villainy, while the Guardian Angel hovered over his head, a mortal, showing him the narrow and steep path of good.”