The shortage of food led to tension in the annex. Discuss.

In the Annex, many reasons existed for the constant tension.  One of the most difficult reasons was the shortage of food.  Food was controlled with ration cards which were very difficult to obtain, and the number of people hiding in the Annex added to the problem.  People such as the butcher who would save bits of meat to give to those in hiding were often arrested, and the supply of food became even more scarce. 

What really added to the tension in the Annex was that some of their precious food was disappearing in the night. Everyone was so hungry that disappearing food was a desperate thing.  At first, rats and mice were blamed for the missing food.  Then one night, Peter's father was caught stealing food, and the group almost came apart.  Anne's father calmed down the situation, but because others were so hungry also, the tension of so little food remained.