The power of shame can control people, even if it causes them to put themselves in a worse situation to avoid it. Hanna could have eased the sentencing on her if she had owned up to being illiterate. But the power of the humiliation that comes with that was too great for her. Insecurities control the way we act every single day, even if nobody can notice it, what we think that other people think of us is what ultimately drives our choices.
An interesting concept that I saw in this part is the cliche saying about bullies. "Bullies try to ignore their insecurities by belittling others." I saw this especially true in Hanna. The way she gets around her illiteracy, is by choosing a weak target to read for her. She has power over the sick because they have no strength. This causes them to see her as a dominant figure and they can not, and would never, cause any harm to her. Picking on these targets allows her to be read to by a person who would never even think to question why she does it. It is a great plan, and I truly do believe she is a good person, but her insecurities are driving her to be mean.
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