The first reference to the sacrificial lamb occurs when Amir recalls Hassan's rape. Hassan had been chasing the final kite, cut down by Amir. The success not only comes from being the last person whose kite is still flying, but it also comes from obtaining the last kite cut down. Hassan is running after the kite which Amir cut down to win the day's challenge. The cut kite materially represents Amir's success. Hassan knows how important the kite is to Amir, so he runs to take it. It is during his chase of the kite that he is raped. Therefore, he sacrifices his body and innocence in getting Amir the kite.
As for Sohrab, he (Sohrab) is Hassan's son. The parallel between the two is created by identifying both father and son as sacrificial lambs. Sohrab is an innocent, like Hassan was prior to his rape. Sohrab is "adopted" by...
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Assef (the same person who raped his father when both Hassan and Assef were boys). Assef tortures Sohrab, much like he tortured his father. Unfortunately for Sohrab, he lives with Assef, and the torture is a daily ritual.
Although Hassan's alignment with the sacrificial lamb is, essentially, permanent, Sohrab's is not. Sohrab is saved by Amir.
I have a little different take on why Amir's mind flashes back to the sacrificial lamb during the attack on Hassan in Chapter 7. At this point in the novel, Amir is at a crossroads--he so desperately wants Baba's approval, that he must decide what he is willing to sacrifice to get it.
As he comes upon the scene in the alley, Amir knows that Hassan is so loyal to him that he will sacrifice himself to keep the kite for Amir. However, Amir is actually the one in charge of the sacrifice; he could choose to step in or call for help, but he does neither. Instead, he makes the conscious decision to sacrifice Hassan's innocence and peace of mind so that he can obtain Baba's approval.
The image of the literal lamb being led to the sacrificial slaughter is something that always horrified Amir, and so his memory of it in Chapter 7 demonstrates that Amir knows just how harmful his choice to sacrifice Hassan is. Hosseini includes this flasback on purpose; so look for other examples in The Kite Runner of Amir's dreams or memories illuminating his guilty conscience.
Well, it is a pretty common image, the idea of the sacrificial lamb, and runs through many religious and philosophical systems.
In this case, it is simply the fact that Hassan goes to the slaughter willingly, as a lamb. He runs in to get the kite knowing what might happen.
The second part of it is the helplessness of the lamb in both Sohrab and Hassan's case. If no one steps in to save it, it is obviously powerless against the slaughtering person or thing. So too are Hassan and Sohrab, but in the latter case, Amir finds the courage to try to step in and do something about it, to save the lamb from the slaughter.