Survival during a war requires resourcefulness for all parties involved. The ability to be adaptable and to find material, practical, and emotional assistance is especially necessary for the children in The Silver Sword. Ruth and her siblings somehow must survive in Warsaw when their parents are taken away. Edek defends their home by shooting at the soldiers and frees his sisters. After they leave home, they find a place to stay in a ruined house, and Edek scrounges for food. Ruth’s idea of starting a school is especially resourceful because it reminds the students that there is more to life than the material discomforts they endure, and it offers optimism for the future.

Jan’s resourcefulness proves central to the plot, because when he meets Joseph, he immediately sees that the silver sword is a resource. Although it was likely not his intention, the deal he makes with Joseph to employ it in searching for Joseph’s children proves part of Jan’s resourceful behavior; when he finds them, they become a new family to him.