Talk to virtually anyone who grew up in an East Bloc country and you’ll hear that secret radio story. If your parents were listening to shortwave the radio was well-hidden and you were constantly admonished not to tell anyone. But at school they were always goading you to report such activity in exchange for praise and prizes. It put many young children in a very difficult bind.
Seems her mother had one of those short wave radios, and she was (IMO) a bit of a narcissist : The mother made little attempt to conceal her ownership of the radio, because she thought she was so clever no one would find out. Wrong! No one-not the mother, or her children-was executed (I don't recall if the radio was or was not seized) , but the mother's "anti social" behavior was recorded, and all her children were not only prevented from getting a higher education despite excellent grades, they were only allowed to get the most menial jobs available-all in retaliation for the mother's actions. Per the tour guide, the mother complains about how her friends all have children who are earning decent money and have at least reasonably prestigious jobs...And her children have decided to protect her from the knowledge of how her own actions way back before the fall of the Berlin wall continue to impact their lives today, as those "lost years" cannot be relived. At least they survived.