Bruno is the son of a Nazi commandant who is forced to leave his home in Berlin and move to Auschwitz where his father has been reassigned. He is reluctant to leave Berlin where he has two good friends, is close to his grandparents, and lives in a lovely home. Bruno is characterized by an endearing childhood innocence which becomes especially poignant when he meets a young prisoner on the other side of a fence near his house. Bruno remains strikingly unaffected by the war and unmoved by the Nazi beliefs and propaganda which he confronts daily. This may well be due to his young age or the result of his character. In any case, Bruno represents man's capacity for kindness and compassion.
Shmuel is a young Polish Jew who is a prisoner in Auschwitz. Bruno meets him at a fence while exploring near his house. Shmuel is as innocent as Bruno and seems not to quite understand
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Although we only get snippets of her conversations with Bruno's father, we understand that she's not in favour of what's happening. At one point her son hears her say: "… as if it's the most natural thing in the world and it's not, it's just not…" (11.683). She may not go against her husband in front of her children, but clearly, Bruno's mom understands what is happening and is not in full-support. Her dismay only increases as the family spends more time in Auschwitz—instead of growing numb to the atrocities next door, Bruno's mother becomes more agitated, which we can see when she says: "It's horrible […]. Just horrible. I can't stand it anymore" (17.1127). Life under Hitler may suit her husband just fine, but for this woman, it's truly terrible. Unfortunately, though, she doesn't remove her children from the situation until it's much too late for Bruno. Bruno’s mother is largely ignorant of what goes on in Auschwitz; after realizing that her husband is ordering Jews to be murdered in the gas chambers, she decides to move back to Berlin with her