Where is optimism in the book The Endless Steppe?

Optimism is illustrated in the family itself. As hard as things get, they are a "family". They hold onto their beliefs and values, Raya holds onto to her pride and insists upon pulling through.... in turn, she teaches her daughter to keep her head up, even though Esther isn't old enough or mature enough to understand her mother's insistance upon appearing to be self-sufficient.

Rayna, on the other hand, can remain optimistic because she has no inkling of the danger her family faces. She is young, and she is a dreamer. She keeps her spirits up by thinking of what might be....