Incidents of racism and sexism happen more often now that Marjane is sexually active with an Austrian man. Marjane is no longer an innocent child in the eyes of European adults—to them, she’s a foreign seducer, intent on stealing the hearts of gullible Austrian men. However, Marjane feels worse for Markus than for herself because she still clings to Iranian family norms. Since Iran positions parents as “sacred,” she assumes that Markus must be distraught—but there’s little evidence that he’s upset.