Boyne's novel about a nine-year-old German boy who develops an unlikely friendship with a Jewish boy who is confined behind a barbed wire fence at Auschwitz has several significant lessons. This story is a cautionary tale of how radical government policies can propagate prejudice that results in the inhumane treatment of a specific group of people. The Nazi's Final Solution persecuted people of the Jewish faith and resulted in the deaths of approximately six million Jews.
Another lesson expressed throughout the novel is the idea that people should treat others the way they want to be treated. Unlike the other characters in the novel, Bruno's innocence allows him to treat everyone with respect and compassion.
Another lesson deals with the power of love and friendship. Boyne illustrates how love and friendship can overcome the most inhumane, dangerous environments. Despite the hate and brutality regularly surrounding them, Shmuel and Bruno develop a close friendship that withstands the test of time. Even though they both die at the end of the story, their bond transcends the physical realm.
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