Shmuel is
wise beyond his years. Despite being the exact same age as Bruno,
he knows considerably more about the outside world than the German boy. This is because, as a
member of a despised minority, Shmuel has been forced to grow up quickly due to the persecution
of his people.
As one of the many victims of the Nazis' systematic attempt to
destroy the entire Jewish population of Europe, Shmuel has never had a chance to enjoy a
carefree, happy childhood. As such, he's become much older than his years. He knows much more
about the world than Bruno, and much more than he'd care to.
Shmuel is also
highly intelligent. Unlike Bruno, he knows that they're in Poland.
He also knows where this is located in Europe (Bruno thinks it's in Denmark). It's clear that
Shmuel has received a sound education, albeit one that was inevitably cut short by the war.
Contrast this with Bruno, who's been indoctrinated with Nazi ideology from an early age and
encouraged to believe that Germany is superior to every other nation on earth.
Despite his hopeless situation, Shmuel is a very friendly
young man. That he's able to become friends with a German boy, the son of the camp commandant at
that, says a lot about his character. This indicates that, despite all that he's been through,
all the many horrors he's witnessed and endured, he still retains his basic
humanity.
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