the exclusion of Jews from Austrian society. The opening of the novel vividly captures a tense atmosphere in Vienna, where a large crowd gathers at the Parliament building for a significant political event. Tensions rise as enthusiastic supporters rally for Dr. Schwertfeger, who is set to present a law aimed at expelling all Jewish citizens. The scene is filled with both zealous demonstrations and an undercurrent of dread as the political ramifications of such an event begin to materialize. We see the crowd's mixed reactions to the anticipated speech, foreshadowing the chaos and moral dilemmas that will follow the implementation of this law, laying the groundwork for a commentary on intolerance and the consequences of societal scapegoating. (This is an automatically generated summary.)