What does Bruno say and do to show his growing understanding of the inhumanity going on around him, including to his friend Shmuel?

Bruno is a very young and naïve nine-year-old boy who is transplanted out of a wonderful life in Berlin to the outskirts of Auschwitz for his father’s job. As a young boy, he is unable to understand the reason for the move. As a young boy, he is generally hushed and told not to ask questions, which may invariably be the cause of his ignorance. His curiosity, however, knows no bounds and he is intent...

Bruno is a very young and naïve nine-year-old boy who is transplanted out of a wonderful life in Berlin to the outskirts of Auschwitz for his father’s job. As a young boy, he is unable to understand the reason for the move. As a young boy, he is generally hushed and told not to ask questions, which may invariably be the cause of his ignorance. His curiosity, however, knows no bounds and he is intent on exploring the world around his new home. Over time, he begins to recognize the sort of place he lives in.

Bruno initially has no understanding of the place he sees in his window. When he and Gretel look out to Auschwitz, they have no idea what they are looking at. All they know is that it is a nasty looking place, according to Bruno. He asks, “Why would Father take a new job here in such a nasty place and with so many neighbours? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Bruno is exposed to the inhumanity around him through Lieutenant Kotler and Shmuel. Upon first meeting Lieutenant Kotler, he finds that he does not like him but does not know why until he witnesses Kotler’s brutal acts toward animals and Pavel. When Kotler asks Pavel to find a tire for Bruno to make a swing, Bruno dislikes the manner in which Kotler addresses Pavel. He recognizes that Kotler calls Pavel a derogatory name:

“‘Hey, you!’ he shouted, then adding a word that Bruno did not understand. ‘Come over here, you—’ He said the word again, and something about the harsh sound of it made Bruno look away and feel ashamed to be part of this at all.”

He recognized how Kotler spoke so cruelly to Pavel, even though he was young enough to be Pavel’s grandson. Bruno also noticed how cruel Kotler was when he shot a stray dog and beat Pavel when he spilled his wine.

When Bruno befriends Shmuel, he is initially unaware of Shmuel’s situation. He does not understand why Shmuel is on the other side of the fence. He has a difficult time understanding why Shumel looks sad all of the time. He notices that Shmuel becomes skinnier and skinnier, but only recognizes what is happening when Gretel tells him that the people behind the fence are Jews who need to be kept away from the rest.

He does not truly understand the inhumanity occurring around him until he wears the striped pajamas and walks around the other side of the fence to his untimely death.