Anna and Sam's relationship might not be one of the great romances of their time, but the two enjoyed a happy life together. In particular, Anna was fulfilled in her role as a mother.

Sam's tragic mining accident is Anna's first brush with death. Sadly, as she notes here, it will be far from her last. This passage also implies that Anna grows some sort of emotional resilience against the horror of death over time.

Before the plague, Elizabeth Bradford had the run of things in Eyam. Things change, however. The plague completely upends the established social order of the village, effectively destroying the distinction between the upper and lower classes. Ol' Lizzy is none too pleased about this.