Khalid Housseini's The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir and Hassan, two young boys living in the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir and Hassan's favorite pastime is kite-fighting, which is very popular in their Kabul neighborhood. Hassan is a "kite runner" and retrieves the kites that fall from battle. After Amir wins a local kite-fighting tournament, Hassan goes on to retrieve the last kite fallen to keep as a trophy. When Hassan finds the kite he encounters Assef, a bully who rejects Hassan because he is a Hazara (an ethnic group that Assef considers inferior). After Hassan refuses to hand over the kite, Assef beats and rapes him. Amir witnesses the assault but is too frightened to defend Hassan. Amir also thinks that if he fails to retrieve the kite, his father, whose affection and approval he longs for, won't be as proud of him. This...
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overwhelming guilt leads Amir to distance himself from Hassan.
In an attempt to banish Hassan—who is his best friend but also his servant—Amir tries to frame him for theft. He places a watch and money under his pillow and tells his father that Hassan stole the items. When Hassan is confronted by Amir's father, Baba, he offers us a false confession and admits to stealing the money and watch. In this moment, Amir becomes certain that Hassan knows that he witnessed everything. He knows that Hassan would rather lie than disgrace him in the eyes of his father.
Yes, Hassan knows that Amir witnesses Assef rape him. In chapter 9, Amir receives his birthday gifts and patiently waits for Ali and Hassan to go shopping. When they leave Baba's estate, Amir sneaks into Ali's shack in their backyard and puts some of his birthday money and a watch underneath Hassan's bed in an attempt to frame him. Amir then tells his father that Hassan stole his money and watch, and Baba has everyone sit down to discuss the issue when Ali and Hassan return. During their meeting, Baba directly asks Hassan if he stole Amir's presents and Hassan replies by saying "yes." The moment that Hassan offers his false confession to protect Amir, Amir mentions,
And that led to another understanding: Hassan knew He knew I'd seen everything in that alley, that I'd stood there and done nothing. He knew I had betrayed him and yet he was rescuing me once again, maybe for the last time (Hosseini, 89).
Amir's comment and Hassan's resignation indicate that Hassan is aware that Amir witnessed his rape and refused to intervene. After Hassan admits to stealing Amir's presents, Ali informs Baba that they are moving away to Hazarajat. After Hassan and Ali leave, Amir never sees Hassan again but redeems himself by saving Hassan's son, Sohrab, later in the story.