The epigraph of Chapter Three highlights the ways both Mother and Mattie feel and relates to the novel’s theme of loss. Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Fever 1793, quotes from a letter from Margaret Morris, which states “Oh, then the hands of the pitiful mother prepared her child’s body for the grave.”, the “pitiful mother” representing Mother, and the child spoken about is Matilda. Mother has just experienced yet another death, the last one being Mattie’s father. Polly was their helper girl, and now they don’t have anyone to help around the shop. This will cause Mother to get more stressed as she and Mattie have more work to do. Mother becomes more protective, more harsh, scared that Mattie will catch that lethal, although unknown,