What does it mean persist???

Eliezer notices that mrs. schachter doesn’t seem affected by the optimism the other prisoners on the train feel when they hear what the two men who fetched water tell them. how does this contrast to develop one of the key themes in night? a.) this contrast illustrates that an unstable woman like mrs. schacher should not be heeded. b.) this contrast shows that an apparently insane person has correctly foreseen the real horrors that await them. c.) this contrast demonstrates that eliezer is too impressionable d.) this contrast revealed that mrs. schachter becomes an impediment to the prisoners attempts to remain hopeful.