Josie seems to idolize Zio Ricardo, believing that he represents a desirable way of life that doesn’t exist anymore. But Nonna instead makes the case that every time period has its flaws—the 30s and 40s may have produced Zio Ricardo, but that doesn’t mean life wasn’t still difficult. Though it could be considered rude that Josie doesn’t listen to Nonna’s next story, the fact that Josie stops to think about how lonely Nonna was nevertheless shows Josie growing up and developing empathy.