Bruno had a hatred for Lieutenant Kotler the moment they laid eyes on each other, and once twelve year old Gretel and nineteen year old Lieutenant Kotler started to flirt. One boring day, Bruno wants to build a tire swing in the big tree in the front yard. Lieutenant Kolter orders an elderly servant to go out back and get an old tire and rope. Bruno was having fun on the new tire swing, then next thing you know Bruno falls out of the tire swing. The servant Pavel comes to help him. Pavel cares for Bruno's wounds. Bruno and Pavel began to talk, and Bruno asks Pavel about his knowledge. Bruno and Pavel are still talking and Pavel tells Bruno he was a doctor before the War. Bruno wonders why Pavel is not longer a doctor. The family’s maid Maria begins to tell Bruno that Pavel can no longer work as a doctor because he is a Jew.
After a little while, Bruno starts to walk along the fence that divides his family’s property and the fenced in area. Bruno has walked for what he thinks has been hours, he sees a young sad boy around Bruno’s age. The sad looking boy, Shmuel lives on the other side of the fence. Bruno and Shmuel begin to talk among each other and Shmuel begins to tell Bruno how he used to live above his father’s watch store. The soldiers come and moved his family into a single room. Where they was forced to share with several other families. And then Shmeul’s family was brought to this