What is the moral or message of "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?"

One
could argue that the moral message in Boyne's story concerns the
significance of exercising perspective and developing an understanding that we are more alike
than we are different. In the story, Boyne illustrates how a young, naive German boy named Bruno
befriends a Jewish prisoner named Shmuel, who lives inside the horrific Auschwitz concentration
camp, where he witnesses atrocities on a daily basis and must endure the difficult conditions
inside the fence. Despite their different backgrounds, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and
drastically different circumstances, Bruno and Shmuel become close friends. While Bruno
initially struggles to understand Shmuel's situation, he gradually develops perspective and
sympathizes with him. The fence that separates the two boys metaphorically represents the
numerous social and political boundaries and obstacles that divide humans across the
globe.

Despite the massive fence and the dangerous environment of the
concentration camp, the two boys develop an innocent friendship. The fact that Bruno and
Shmuel's friendship flourishes in the midst of such a horrific setting emphasizes Boynes message
that all humans are more alike than we are different. Rather than accept the divisive,
hatefularound them, Bruno and Shmuel recognize each other's positive qualities, sympathize with
each other, and become close friends. Bruno's act of wearing the striped pajamas and entering
the concentration camp highlights the message that we as humans are much more similar than we
are different. This concept stands in stark contrast to the racial and ethnic superiority
message propagated by the Nazis.