Foil

Character Role Analysis

Bruno

It's good to think of Bruno as a sort of sounding board for Oskar. For example, Oskar tends to talk about Bruno as if he were slow-witted, but when we actually get to read what Bruno himself writes, we realize that he's a highly intelligent and observant professional. This realization helps give us insight into the flaws of Oskar's thinking, and throws into question his evaluation of pretty much everyone he meets in this book. As a caretaker, Bruno becomes a sort of staging ground to help show us the limits of Oskar's thinking. His is the only perspective we actually get to encounter in the novel.

They're both artists, but Bruno's nature is down-to-earth and practical compared to Oskar's grandiosity.

The image of the two of them staring at each other through a peephole sets them up as foils.