Can you imagine how hard it may be to live in a confined area with another family for two years? Sounds easy, but it is not. This situation is the precise situation that the Frank and Van Daan family were in. The fathers of the two families had some differences and similarities in their personalities.


Otto Frank and “Putti” Van Daan are the fathers of the families. Mr. Frank’s family consists of two daughters, Anne and Margot, and his wife. The members in Mr. Van Daan’s family include his son, Peter, and his wife. When combined and put into a cramped region they are bound to find trouble. With limited amount of food the members of the families needed to divide the food evenly. This did not satisfy Mr. Van Daan. One night he was caught red handed stealing bread from the cabinet (Act 2, scene 3). This shows one difference between the two fathers. Mr. Van Daan is very greedy, always wanting more food and cigarettes. He does not care that much about the others or even the children. Mr. Frank on the other hand is caring, putting others’ needs before his own. An example is when he offers his food to the other family members.


Another interesting comparison is that Otto is closer to the kids than “Putti”. When the kids, Anne and Peter, are doing their studies, Mr. Frank always checks on them to see if they need any help. Mr. Van Daan on the contrary does not bother to ask if they need help or not. All he does is sit down, play chess, sleep, or smoke his tobacco. Even when his own son, Peter, asks him for help, he turns away and says “do not ask me”. As Mr. Frank hears him he volunteers to help Peter. That shows how kind and caring Otto is towards the kids.


In times of desperation, Mr. Frank has an enhanced knowledge of leadership. He knows what to do in times of crisis like the time a thief broke into the building and he bravely told everyone to stay quiet as he crept down the stairs to check on what was going on in the building. During this time Mr. Van Daan is struggling to make a decision to stay in the room or go down with Mr. Frank. Otto has a faster reaction to problems like this. He knows what to say to the family when they have problems. That shows true leadership. Mr. Van Daan does not have that.


By reading the whole play you can simply come across many differences between the two fathers, Mr. Frank and Mr. Van Daan. Kindness, caring, and leadership are just three of many comparisons you can find in the reading. There are many more people that you could compare and contrast with including the two sisters, Anne and Margot Frank.