Chapter 17

TÖPPER, THE SPOKESMAN

The dormitory rooms accommodated ten to twelve students who molded into families or teams, each naming itself, often after the eldest student or an assistant teacher. Time was allotted for bunk activities, and during free time, the roommates hung out together, both on and off the farm. One activity that knitted the students together was the weekly Sunday morning room inspections by Bondy. Fear has a way of unifying people. It was during inspection that Bondy reverted to his military ways. In the eyes of the boys, he approached being deranged. In preparation, Töpper, along with his partner, Prinz, tidied their metal wardrobe. The underwear, handkerchiefs, shirts and so on were folded precisely and piled on the appropriate shelves. The socks were laid flat in piles of three. Everyone polished their shoes. When Bondy entered the room, the boys stood at attention with their hearts pounding. He scanned the room silently and then hunted for dust on the radiators, the windowsills and the bed supports. He checked the blankets to determine if they were taut enough and folded correctly at the corners. He then turned to the wardrobes. He fingered the piles of clean, folded clothes, and if he determined that the folded clothes were not precise enough or, heaven forbid, he uncovered dirty clothes hidden behind clean ones, he would violently sweep his hand and throw the clothes onto the clean floor. His voice shrieked with accusations. As he left the room, silently seething, the floor looked like a battlefield. No matter that this ritual happened every week, the students never got used to the trauma.

After one such inspection, the boys of his bunk decided that Töpper should go to Bondy and present their thoughts about the inspection routine and the fear and emotional storm that always erupted. They gave Töpper a list of complaints and talked about what would be an effective way to communicate their feelings. As Töpper approached Bondy’s door, the green light was lit. He rang the doorbell and entered the room. Bondy was on the sofa covered with a blanket. It was his naptime. Töpper wondered if he had picked the worst possible time to present the students’ concerns. He pulled over a chair and sat next to the sofa. Bondy’s eyes remained shut. For some unexplained reason, Töpper was not trembling. His voice was calm as he explained that he came as a delegate. He emphasized how emotionally draining the inspections were and wondered what impression was made on those newly arrived students. There was a long silence. Bondy did not open his eyes. Then he responded, “Thank you, Töpper, for speaking to me so openly. I will think about it.” Töpper thanked Dr. Bondy and quietly left the room. He returned to his room where his friends sat stiffly as they listened in wide-eyed admiration. Töpper’s mission proved successful. Bondy continued his inspections, but he toned them down. Töpper wondered if Bondy realized how difficult it was to bring up the subject and talk so truthfully. Obviously, he did.⁸²

This was not the only instance when Töpper spoke up. Another time, he was the harbinger of some comic relief. It is easy to understand that adolescent boys and girls living together and working together had sexual urges and thoughts. Everyone knew, however, that if there was a sex-related “incident,” the community’s trust would be broken and the reputation and existence of Gross Breesen would be jeopardized. There was, however, an incident, but it was only a verbal one. One of the boys approached a girl, and in his exaggerated teenage fantasy, he asked her if she would go to bed with him. The girl refused, but she panicked and went to Bondy.

Late in the afternoon, Bondy called a meeting for the boys and another for the girls that would be run by Frau Scheier. Töpper had just come in from the field and was dirty and tired. Before he could clean up, he joined the others who were already sitting expectantly in the meeting room. All was deathly quiet. Bondy stood at the lectern and just glared at the boys in prolonged silence. This always meant that trouble was brewing. Finally, he slowly and gravely reported what had happened. The boy who made the “lewd” suggestion was immediately expelled and sent home. Bondy was incensed. He had stated before that any and all sexual contacts must wait until marriage. For the boys, ages fifteen to seventeen, marriage was so far in the distant future that they could not even imagine it. But Bondy did make sense. Sex could not be isolated from one’s total behavior. It was part of a person’s attitude. He explained, “What does matter is whether a person wants to live in accordance with moral principles and to what extent he makes an effort to put them into effect. We cannot be decent in one area of life and not in another one.”⁸³ For the boys, sex was a very intriguing topic, and some were secretly amused observing Bondy being so self-conscious, but no one even shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

Whatever possessed Töpper, neither he nor anyone else could begin to understand. He raised his hand, and after being acknowledged by Bondy, he stood up to speak. He began by saying that because no girls were present, he felt comfortable with what he wanted to say. He stated the obvious: every boy, once or twice a month, worked with the girls in the laundry. Then he confessed his concern. “It’s uncomfortable to have to handle male underwear that is soiled. Especially in front of girls. They have to do it all the time. We have plenty of toilet paper, so use it better.” He sat down. There was not a giggle. Not even a smile. Everyone was absolutely astonished that Töpper would say this. There was resounding silence. Then Bondy spoke. “Töpper is absolutely right. Please make better efforts in this matter.” He then signaled the end of the meeting, and all filed out quietly. Bondy’s response was as bizarre as Töpper’s observation. He could have erupted with venomous castigations at Töpper and the boys, but he didn’t. Töpper, whether consciously or not, had sliced through the dreadful heaviness of the meeting and disarmed Herr Professor. One can only imagine the laughter that exploded in the dorm rooms once the doors were shut.⁸⁴