landscaping of their home, "there was a huge wire fence" that was topped by "enormous bales of barbed wire." They see low huts and ugly large square buildings and "one or two smoke stacks in the distance." They do not understand that those are buildings intended for mass killings.

Bruno disagrees with his sister's theory that they are looking at a countryside environment. While neither child can really articulate it, each feels a sense of dread and fear about the area outside their home. People are fenced in, commanded by soldiers and made to wear the same tattered rags that resemble striped pajamas.

"Who are all those people?" she asked in a quiet voice, almost as if she wasn't asking Bruno but looking for an answer from someone else.
"And what are they all doing there?"

They are puzzled by how desolate the area appears and that there are no women or girls beyond the fence, only men and boys. They are puzzled that some of the men have bandages or crutches. Most of all, they are puzzled by how packed in all the people appear to be in small huts with no distance between them and how filthy looking the people appear, even the children.

In chapter 4 of the novel, Gretel follows Bruno into his room and stares out his window to see the Auschwitz concentration camp for the first time, which is located next to their new home on the opposite side of a high barbed wire fence. As Gretel and Bruno look out the window, they are confused by the people inside the fence and struggle to identify the concentration camp. Both children are too young and naive to recognize that they are looking at one of the largest Nazi concentration camps and that the men and boys wandering around are actually Jewish inmates. Gretel immediately questions where the women are located and cannot discern the function or exact nature of the mysterious environment.

All the children can see are low huts and a few large square buildings with smokestacks in the distance. Both children agree that Auschwitz is a "nasty-looking place," and Gretel mentions that the huts must be modern types of houses. Initially, Gretel concludes that they are looking at the "countryside," which explains the lack of shops, schools, and different homes. However, Bruno comments that there are no farm animals or good soil to grow crops. They also notice groups of prisoners marching as soldiers give them orders and wonder what kind of people live in such a dirty, depressing environment. Bruno also cannot explain why everyone is wearing the same grey striped pajamas, which are actually prison uniforms. Overall, Gretel and Bruno see the Jewish prisoners following orders inside the Auschwitz concentration camp when they look out the window together.

Bruno doesn't quite know what to make of this strange place outside his window. He sees all these people of different ages behind the fence and thinks that perhaps they're farmers. After all, they're in the countryside, and there are large buildings around, the kind you'd expect to find on a farm. But even naive young Bruno knows that "Out-With" isn't a farm; for one thing, he can't see any farm animals.

Whatever this place is, there's something not quite right about it. Bruno's still too young to have the faintest idea as to what goes on behind the barbed wire fence and why, but even at this early stage, he knows that it's a thoroughly nasty type of place, a place where everyone seems to be wearing the same clothes as each other—what look like gray striped pajamas.

Actually, Bruno knew it was not a farm.  Gretel told him that was a possibility, but they both agreed that there should be cows and pigs and horses if it was a farm.  If they grew food, the ground would look a lot better.  (page 34) .  It isn't until chapter 19, when Bruno enters the concentration camp that we find out what he expected to see.  In his imagination he thought that there was going to be a lot of happy families sitting around in rocking chairs and telling stories about how things were better in the good ol' days, and how they respected their elders more than the children of today do.  He thought that the children would be playing with one another the games that children play: football, hopscotch, and tennis.  He had an image of a shop in the center of all the huts and maybe a small cafe and some fruit and vegetable carts like they had in Berlin. (pg 207)  He saw none of this.

In The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, Bruno is an inquisitive boy, not at all impressed with his parents' decision to move out of Berlin to "Out-With". He can see out of his window what to him looks "desolate" and which Gretel, his sister, first thinks may be the countryside but, after consideration, they both decide that it is definitely not the countryside. Bruno and Gretel can see the people in the camp on the other side of a fence and, although it makes no sense, Gretel imagines they may be actors, busy with a rehearsal. Bruno is particularly interested in the fact that there are children - definitely scope for some friends. Gretel, however, is not impressed with the appearance of these children and thinks they are definitely not her "type."

Bruno persists in his interest and manages to gather enough courage to approach his father. His father's response foreshadows what will follow but Bruno, the innocent and ever obedient son, does not question his father, or the meaning of his father's words, although his answer is not what Bruno was looking for :

They’re not people at all...at least not as we understand the term....You have nothing
whatsoever in common with them. 

When Bruno moves with his family from Berlin to Out-With, he is not very happy.  He knows that outside the house, the surrounding area is okay to explore, being a town which his father has been transferred to, except for the forbidden area which he must not go to, no exceptions. He is basically told that this town is just another place for the family to live.  Being a young boy of eight, Bruno wants to know everything about the area around his home, and being the curious boy that he is, he goes exploring.  Of course he goes to the forbidden area where he finds a fence with another young boy on the other side.   He, in his innocence, has discovered Auschwitz.  Since it is forbidden to be there, he tells no one in his family that he has been to the fence in the woods.  The story ends in tragedy.

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno's inclusive and respectful worldview is strikingly consistent throughout the narrative.

Bruno's view of the world shows that people matter.  From his friends back in Berlin to Shmuel, the need for people is a very important component to his worldview.  Bruno validates people in profound ways, such as his friendship to Shmuel.  He also does this in small ways, such as when he validates Hitler's girlfriend as a nice lady.  Bruno's worldview is not politically intentional.  Rather, he simply treats people as he would want to be treated.  

Bruno's worldview emphasizes the need to atone for mistakes.  He understands that errors in judgment may happen.  Yet, figuring out how to make mistakes right is a significant part of what human beings should do.  He rectifies his mistakes such as with Pavel or Maria, and understands that he erred in letting Shmuel get abused from Kotler.  In these cases, Bruno is quick to make amends.  It is why Bruno is so loyal to Shmuel, even in the darkest and scariest of moments. Bruno's worldview towards people remains consistent throughout the novel.

Another aspect of Bruno's worldview is to represent what is right and decent. Bruno approaches the moral complexities within the Holocaust with a stark sense of ethical clarity.  He wants to be nice.  It is why he has such a disdain for Kotler.   Additionally, when "The Fury" comes to dinner, Bruno is not pleased with the way he orders Eva Braun and snaps his fingers at her.  Bruno's worldview affirms respect and he does not like it when others are disrespected.  It is why he sees the people at "Out-With" as simply the people "in the striped pajamas." Bruno's inability to call them prisoners or even "Jews" shows how he sees them as people.  Showing respect to people is a significant aspect of his worldview that is very consistent throughout the narrative.