Bruno despised Lieutenant Kotler. Father was called back to Berlin for a trip. Lieutenant Kotler was in charge but Bruno wanted to be the man of the house. Although Father was absent from Out-With, Mother planned a birthday party for him. Shmuel’s glass polishing filled the tense air as Bruno quietly cut some leftovers to sneakily share with his friend. Cold, sudden fear. “Who gave you permission to speak in this house?” Lieutenant Kotler screamed. What would Father think of this situation? Every afternoon that followed, Bruno returned to the same spot at the fence, where he finally found Shmuel and tearfully apologized for his cowardly behaviour. Bruno noticed Shmuel’s scars, but Shmuel whispered that nothing hurt anymore. Reaching under the wire, their hands met for the very first time.