The eternal drama

“As if the devil had taken up residence with us”

Alexandra Leitner is a very religious person, she often goes to church - to pray for her murdered mother.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/Markus Wenzel)

In 2016, her mother was murdered, in 2024 one of her three children became very ill - and she and her husband lost their jobs. As a result, the family fell into financial hardship and are now even threatened with eviction. "I don't know how to go on," says the Lower Austrian woman.

Alexandra Leitner sits at the dining table in her kitchen and - even when she is talking - keeps looking around the room. It's almost as if she's seeing some things for the first time; as if she wants to discover something new in her home.

But her gaze is not curious, but sad. "I don't know," says the 42-year-old, her eyes filling with tears, "how much longer my family and I will be allowed to stay in our apartment."