Maria never sheds the nun's habit, with which she begins her memoir. She does not allow the reader to forget how important her faith is to her. The purpose of her book seems to be that she wants the reader to experience her almost saintly devotion. However, Maria is not completely pious. The reader sees glimpses of the mischief in her. She shows instances in which she tests people to see how far she can go with them. Perhaps this is her effort to show the reader that she is not all that naive.