What are the key themes in "The Boy with the Striped Pajamas?" Why are these themes important to the novel as a whole?

In the novel,
, by , there are a couple of major themes that run throughout the story.  Bruno, a lonely
little boy is thein this story.  He has an older sister named Gretel, a nanny and house keeper
named Maria, a mother and a father.  Brunos father is a Commandant of a Jewish concentration
camp.   The major theme is the desire for friendship.  Boyne explores the theme of friendship by
having Bruno wander to the fence of the camp, and he meets another boy his age.  The problem is
that this little boy, Shmuel, is a prisoner.   He is a Polish Jew who is interned at Auschwitz
along with his family.   The boys become friends from opposite sides of the fence and the war. 
The desire in these two boys for a friendship is so strong that they ignore the fence between
them.  They become very dependent upon one another.  This friendship will eventually lead to
.

When Brunos father asks him about how he knows about the people in the
stripped clothes, Bruno tells him that he has seen them from his window.  Bruno's father forbids
Bruno to go near the fence, and tells him to play near the house. Bruno doesnt understand his
fathers hatred of these people.  We also meet a violent and hateful soldier who comes on to
Brunos older sister.  However, we see his violent hatred of Jews when he beats a prisoner who
works in the house.  He also threatens and intimidates Bruno.  The actions of the Nazi soldiers
and Brunos father demonstrate the theme of prejudice that runs throughout the novel.

"'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' explores
the beauty of a child's innocence in a time of war, the common desire we all have for
friendship, and the fencesboth literal and figurativethat we must all navigate and choose
whether or not to break down."