Bertolt Brecht wrote Der gute Mensch von Sezuan, The Good Person of Szechwan, between 1938 and 1941. It premiered at the Schauspielhaus in Zurich on 4 February 1943. The play ends with an epilogue spoken to the audience. Wir stehen selbst enttäuscht und sehn betroffen / Den Vorhang zu und alle Fragen offen. We stand here disappointed ourselves and see, dismayed, the curtain closed and all the questions open.
The only way out, the epilogue says, would be for the audience to think at once about how a good person can be helped to a good end. Verehrtes Publikum, los, such dir selbst den Schluß! Dear audience, go on, find the ending yourself!