The parents are negative examples of what "real" men and women should be. Eventually, the father agrees to leave the children alone in the woods in what amounts to a death sentence. The children have to rely on their wits to survive. Hansel fills his pockets with pebbles to drop along the path and mark their way back home. Abandonment happens again, however, and the next time Hansel cannot collect pebbles because his mother has locked the door, so he drops breadcrumbs instead. But birds eat the bread, and the children get lost. After three days, they find a house made of bread and candy and begin to eat it. An old witch owns the house. She entices children this way and then eats them for dinner. At first, she is very kind, but once they are under her spell,...

The witch is an ancient equivalent of the modern day "child predator." Every day she checks to see if Hansel is gaining weight, but Hansel fools her into thinking he is still thin, thereby gaining time. Eventually, the witch grows impatient and heats the stove. She orders Gretel to get inside and see if the oven is hot, intending to cook Gretel for dinner. But Gretel "knows" what the witch intends to do. Gretel pretends stupidity. So the witch demonstrates by getting in the oven. Gretel pushes the witch in, slams the door, and locks it. She frees Hansel. They gather up riches and go home to their father where they learn their abusive mother has died. Hurray!
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