An important theme in "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is friendship. In the novel, the main character Bruno meets Shumel while he is exploring along a fence. Even though the fence separates the boys, they begin to meet daily and soon become friends. Bruno's family tells him to stay away from the enclosure, but he continues to meet Shmuel and bring him food whenever he can. Even though the fence separates them, the friendship between the boys grows as they get to know each other, learn about each other's lifestyles and religions, and continues until the end. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Another theme that recurs throughout the novel is the innocence of childhood. In the story, the horrible truth about why Bruno's family moved to Out-With is kept from him. Bruno has no idea what's happening beyond the fence or what exactly his father's job is. This proposes one main difference between Shmuel and Bruno, which is their childlike innocence. Shmuel lost his childhood innocence when he experienced the wrath of the soldiers firsthand, while Bruno has no idea what really happens beyond the fence. A final theme in this novel is the idea of ​​judging a book by its cover. Bruno's father and his fellow soldiers assume that all Jews are evil and cruel. They don't consider the fact that they are human, they have a life and a family, just like everyone else. Bruno's father is convinced that all Jews are equal and that they should all be punished. These assumptions take the book and the story into a very dark time. The novel "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne is a historical novel and is set in 1943 during World War II, in an extermination camp in Poland. Nine-year-old Bruno and his family move from an affluent five-story house in Berlin to a "simple" three-story house called Out-With. When Bruno and his family arrive at his new home, they notice that a few kilometers away there is a large fence surrounding the people who are all wearing the same striped pajamas. After several weeks of boredom, Bruno decides to go exploring, something he always did in Berlin. He goes on an adventure walking along the fence, despite his family's opinion of what lies beyond. Her father has been very secretive about why they had to move immediately and only says it's for work. After walking for a couple of hours, Bruno finds a boy sitting on the other side of the fence. This boy is Shumel, nine years old. Bruno was very excited to have found someone to play with, but Shumel is nervous about meeting him because he knows what will happen if the soldiers find out. Bruno and Shumel continue to meet for several months, Bruno brings Shumel food whenever he can and Shumel becomes someone Bruno can talk to. Inside his house, Bruno discovers that the soldiers working in the camp are bad, evil men and treat no one except his father with respect. Bruno's mother sees this too and decides that the house is not a place where children should be. When Bruno's mother declares that she, her sister Gretal, and Bruno will return to Berlin, Bruno hesitates to tell Shumel because he knows they will have to say goodbye. When he does, Shumel is devastated because in addition to never seeing Bruno again, his father is missing. The two boys set out together on one last mission to find Shumel's father. On Shumel's side. Bruno finally understands why his father was so secretive about the camp and what happens beyond the fence because it is truly horrible. When the boys search for Shumel's father, they become trapped in a group.