Lies and Deceit Quotes in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Funny, because that's exactly the attitude Bruno's parents take toward him. Both mother and father think Bruno is better off not knowing what's happening at Auschwitz, even though atrocities are being committed right outside his window. What his family doesn't know is that his best friend is a Jewish kid in Auschwitz—which is kind of a big deal.

Here, Bruno explains to his father what he's seen from his window. This is the first time in which his father realizes that Auschwitz might not be the best place for a kid to grow up. Uh, ya think? We're amazed it took him over a year to come up with that brilliant opinion.

Bruno's naïveté and innocence are apparent in his thoughts here about Auschwitz. When he goes over to the other side to help Shmuel find his father, he sees up close how very wrong he's been. Nobody has prepared him to see deathly skinny people, the faces full of fear as soldiers point guns at prisoners.