Why did the author choose to include levity throughout the plot?

There's a certain amount of humor contained in the story. What did you think of these lighter touches, and why do you suppose the author chose to include levity throughout the plot?

There's always humor in every situation. It just takes someone to bring it about. The story didn't get bogged down with sadness. Despondency in a story is so negative, an author can't count on anyone reading his or her book if that's all it's about. This book could surely be a nonseller--there is a lot of depression.

It may be that humor is used to preserve the human nature of the characters even as they are caught in an inhumane situation; humor is presented as a means of coping with the emotionally overwhelming situations.

I think the way to survive in difficult situations is to try and find the humor or bright side. I agree with the others in that this book needed to have some levity to keep it readable.

I think the levity was a survival mechanism for these people as it is for all of us in tense times. When things are bad to awful in one's life it is so good to find something to relieve the stress and these people certainly had more than their share of stress.

I think levity makes for a wonderful balance to offset the tragedy and despair in novels set during wartime. What makes this book special is that humor is very rare in these sorts of novels, making THIS novel special indeed.

Without the humor the darkness of the book would have been overwhelming.

The levity demonstrated was appropriate and added to the plausibility. Coping mechanism for most under tremendous circumstances. Balance and Marra conquered.

Comic relief is vital to a plot this deep and dark. The story would be too painful without it.

As others have said, the story and conditions are so bleak that Marra needed to show his readers that humor, however dark, is necessary if people are going to live through them. He is also wisely aware that readers need to have such moments if they are to continue reading.