Race Quotes in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Again, a common misconception: Jews and ethnic Germans have nothing in common. Of course, Bruno's father is more wrong than he could ever imagine because his own son is actually best friends with a Jewish kid. Oops.

When Bruno says this to his father, he admits to himself (and readers) that he thinks it's another way to say goodbye or "have a pleasant afternoon." We're not too convinced about that, though, since he speaks German and should know exactly what it means.

A pretty profound thought from Bruno, no? When he tells Maria this, we can't help seeing the relation to the situation at hand: Jews were forcefully taken from their homes and brought to Auschwitz as prisoners—and sooner or later, the Nazi boat is going to sink.