In Bussy, the people, at first fiercely resentful, slowly begin to tolerate the presence of the German soldiers, and then familiarity breeds acceptance and in some cases, even liking. The shopkeepers excuse their cooperation by charging the Nazis more for their goods, telling themselves that they're doing their part by fleecing the young soldiers. As if making higher profits was a form of resistance. In addition, there are those who collaborate with the Germans in order to escape a lot of the strictures and rationing that their conquerors have imposed. Some are so resentful of their neighbours that they inform on them to the Nazis. And then there are the women.
I don't mean to sound completely judgmental; I've been considering how terrible it would be to have your country invaded and conquered by an enemy nation. I can well imagine people doing things- either by force, or in desperation- that they never dreamed they would ever do. However, I do know one thing about myself: no matter what happened, I would never forget for a minute that they were the enemy, would never voluntarily lift a finger to aid them in any way, and would certainly not fraternize with them for any reason. This is why I had a hard time identifying with the main character in Dolce, Lucille. It's of no matter that her husband, now a prisoner of war, was neglectful and unfaithful; she still has no business allowing herself to develop feelings for the German commander billeted in her house. And it is a matter of allowing oneself: people can say all they want that they can't help themselves, but the truth is that we all have free will, and we can choose to do the right thing, or the wrong one. In this case, Lucille and Bruno are both married- to other people- and he's a Nazi. I don't see the moral dilemma here.
To sum up, Suite Francaise is not a perfectly plotted novel, for the simple fact that it is an unfinished work. It's also not a very pleasant read, as it is a fictional account of one of the darkest times in the history of France. It is, however, a very important work, as it was written contemporary to the events it describes, and though fiction, draws on the real-life events which were occurring. In addition, it provides a detailed and very realistic examination of human nature, and the effects which an event such as the German occupation can have on it... most being dark and ugly, admittedly.