Chapter 15

Bruno doesn’t like Lieutenant Kotler because of several reasons. First because he never smiles, second Gretel is always flirting with him shamelessly and the more infuriating one is that when Father is away, he acts like he is in charge and sometimes when he goes to bed and wakes up Kurt is there. What I think is since Mother’s husband is always traveling, she might find some comfort with the Lieutenant, so she could be having an affair with him.  When mother sends Bruno to the kitchen, he finds a very pleasantly surprise sitting on the table, Shmuel! He explains that he has been brought by the Lieutenant to the house to clean the tiny glasses because his fingers are so small. When Shmuel shows Bruno his fingers and compares them, Bruno realizes how skinny his hand was and how little care they had. Even though the boy doesn’t realize, all of Shmuel appearance is a consequence from the concentration camps, since they starve them and in some case until dead. Trying to be a good friend, Bruno gives his friend a piece of chicken and first he refused, but then when he eats it the Lieutenant appears and starts screaming at him assuming that he had stole it. Shmuel as a defense says that Bruno gave it to him and that they were friends, to what Bruno scared of ending up like Pavel denies everything, without realizing the effect it would have on his only friend. But minutes later Bruno regrets everything he said saying, “how a boy who thought he was a good person really could act in such a cowardly way towards a friend”, which I believe it was a good step for forgiveness, but still as I said in chapter 13 he can’t be that selfish on not defending those who are being abused and mistreated by a higher power. For almost a week Bruno didn’t go to the fence to see Shmuel, but when he finally did Shmuel had his face covered by bruises. To what he connected with something that happened to him like falling from a bike, so he asked him if it hurt, and Shmuel answered in a cold tone, “I don’t feel anything anymore”. Which maybe referring to the fact that he is getting used to being treated badly by everyone, and he just decides to not feel anything. The final scene really touched me and made me feel desolated for everyone that had to suffer during the Holocaust. Just thinking about kids my age or 9 years old being bit up everyday and being starve to death, makes me very self-conscious and grateful for everything I have.