Chapter eight of The Giver focuses on the Chief Elder's speech during the Ceremony of Twelve. Jonas has been selected to be the next Receiver of memory. This is a very important role in the community, and therefore the selection of the right Twelve is necessary. The Chief Elder reminds everyone that the last selection of a Receiver was a failure. She explains how it is difficult to be entirely certain about assignments, as attributes in children may come across as something else:

"Elevens are still children, after all. What we observe as playfulness and patience—the requirements to become Nurturer—could, with maturity, be revealed as simply foolishness and indolence."

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, indolence is a noun that means an "inclination to laziness." The Chief Elder is saying that it can be difficult to assume personality traits in children, as their actions could be the result of different traits. One example she gives is how they might think a child is patient, when really that child is avoidant of activity out of laziness.

The word indolence appears in chapter 8 of The Giver.  Indolence means laziness.

During the Ceremony of Twelve, the Chief Elder describes the traits the committee observes  when determining assignments for the Twelves.    The word appears in this context on page 61:

“Sometimes we worry that the one assigned will not develop, through training, every attribute necessary.  Elevens are still children, after all.  What we observe as playfulness and patience—the requirements to become Nurturer—could, with maturity, be revealed as simply foolishness and indolence.  So we continue to observe during training, and modify behavior when necessary.”