At that time Hesse lived in Bern, Switzerland, where he emigrated to after he had lost his father in 1916, and while his wife and one of his three sons had fallen seriously ill.
W tamtym czasie Hesse mieszkał w szwajcarskim Bernie, do którego wyemigrował po śmierci ojca w 1916 roku, podczas poważnej choroby żony i jednego z trzech synów pisarza.