An important theme in “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” is friendship. In the novel, the main character Bruno meets Shumel while exploring along a fence. Even though the barrier separates the boys, they begin meeting daily and soon become friends. Bruno's family tells him to stay away from the fence, but he continues to meet with Shmuel and bring him food whenever he can. Even though the barrier separates them, the boys' friendship grows as they get to know each other, their lifestyles and religions, and continues until the end. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Another theme that appears in the novel is the innocence of childhood. In the story, the horrible truth about why Bruno's family moved to Out-With is hidden from him. Bruno has no idea what happens beyond the fence or exactly what his father does. This suggests a main difference between Shmuel and Bruno, which is their childhood innocence. Shmuel lost his childhood innocence when he experienced the anger of the soldiers, while Bruno has no idea what is really happening beyond the fence. A final theme of this novel is the idea of ​​judging a book by its cover. Bruno's father and his comrades in arms think that all Jews are evil and cruel. They don't consider the fact that they are human, that they have a life and a family, like anyone else. Bruno's father has the idea that all Jews are the same and that they should all be punished. These assumptions take the book and the story into a very dark period. The novel “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” by John Boyne is historical fiction and takes place in 1943 during World War II, in an extermination camp in Poland. Nine-year-old Bruno and his family move from a wealthy five-story house in Berlin to a "basic" three-story house called Out-With. When Bruno and his family arrive at his new house, he notices that there is a large fence a few miles away, surrounding people all wearing the same striped pajamas. After several weeks of boredom, Bruno decides to go exploring, which he did all the time in Berlin. He sets out on an adventure along the fence, despite his family's opinion of what lies beyond. Her father was very secretive about why they had to move immediately and only said it was for work. After walking for a few hours, Bruno finds a boy sitting on the other side of the fence. This boy is Shumel, nine years old. Bruno was very happy 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, with Bruno bringing Shumel food whenever he can, and Shumel becoming someone Bruno can talk to. In his house, Bruno discovers that the soldiers who work at the camp are mean and mean men and treat no one except his father with respect. Bruno's mother sees this too and decides that home is not a place where children should be. When Bruno's mother declares that she, his sister Gretal, and Bruno are returning to Berlin, Bruno is hesitant 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 own father is missing. The two boys leave together for one last mission: to find Shumel's father. On the Shumel side. Bruno finally understands why his father was so secretive about the camp and what is happening beyond the barrier because it is.