Cheese is shot and Kattrin is killed War tears the family apart Brecht shows through the story that war never protects families It only breaks them War Changes Morality into Crime Eilif is praised as a hero when he steals cattle and kills peasants The Commander rewards him He sings proudly The soldier laughs and loads his gun Mother Courage warns him Didn t I teach you to take care of yourself you Finnish devil you But later when peace comes Eilif is executed for the same act War turns crime into heroism and then back into crime Brecht s message is clear war has no moral truth It only uses people and then destroys them War Exploits Honesty and Loyalty Swiss Cheese becomes paymaster Mother Courage says Don t forget they made you paymaster because you re honest He keeps the regimental cash box safe even when captured But this honesty does not save him Mother Courage tries to ransom him but bargains too long Soldiers shoot him Brecht shows the anti-war truth in war honesty has no value War destroys loyalty and rewards only cruelty War Victimizes Women The play shows how women suffer in war Yvette tells how she was used and abandoned by soldiers Kattrin who is mute is scared when soldiers attack her In the end she dies beating the drum to save the villagers Mother Courage herself loses all her children Brecht shows war as a system that uses women for trade love and sacrifice War leaves them broken War Leaves Only Emptiness At the end Mother Courage is left alone Eilif is executed Swiss Cheese is shot and Kattrin is killed Yet she pulls her wagon again Earlier Mother Courage had sung a fortune-telling song with slips of paper She said So shall we all be torn asunder if we let ourselves get too deep into this war That warning becomes true The ending is deeply anti-war There is no glory no victory Only emptiness survival and sorrow Brecht makes the audience think about how war destroys everything even those who depend on it Mother Courage and Her Children is one of the greatest anti-war plays Brecht shows that war breaks families corrupts morality kills honesty exploits women and leaves only loss Through the story of Mother Courage Eilif Swiss Cheese Kattrin and Yvette he makes war look ugly not heroic The play teaches the audience to reject war It is Brecht s strongest anti-war message