It isn't only the Żabińskis who treat animals as family. Maurycy bunks with a hamster, which quickly becomes like a brother to him. Maybe these human-animal relationship are all the stronger because of how scary and uncertain everything is during wartime; it makes you look at things differently and appreciate what you have, even if that is just a hamster.

Many of the Guests at the villa also have other people's interests foremost in mind. Maurycy has been through so much that he barely cares what happens to himself. But he sure doesn't want to make other people scared. He wants to make sure the other Guests—and the hamsters—have a save environment to live in.