This outlines the principle behind Catherine’s stubborn refusal to drop the case. She’s not even sure if Ronnie’s innocent—her fight is with the system more generally. She feels Ronnie was denied a fair trial, and that this should be a universal right. The case for Ronnie, then, becomes a kind of proxy for her wider wish to see universal rights (with voting, for example) extended to women. John’s comments remind the reader/viewer of the looming threat of war, asking the question of whether Ronnie’s case
is worth attention given the darkness that is imminent in Europe.