Who is Gretel and why does Bruno refer to her as the "Hopeless Case"?

"The
Hopeless Case" is the title of the third chapter of the book. It is in this chapter that we
get to know Gretel, Brunos twelve-year-old sister, and gain some insight into their
relationship. As Bruno says, Gretel is nothing but trouble. He has heard people say that she
has been Trouble From Day One. As Brunos older sister, Gretel often bosses him around and
makes it clear that she is in charge. Bruno is a little scared of her and sees no way for her
attitude toward him to change. That is why he calls her The Hopeless Case. A hopeless case is a
person who can no longer be helped. Bruno sees Gretel as hopeless because he believes that they
will never get along as a brother and sister. In their new home at Out-With, Bruno and Gretel
are tutored by Herr Leitz, who teaches them Nazi ideologies. Although he remains skeptical of
the teachings, his sister begins heavily supporting the Nazi cause, which irritates Bruno even
more and makes her more of a hopeless case to him