before the life he leads in Auschwitz.  Consider in Chapter 9, as Bruno becomes more used to his life at the camp, that he begins to wonder about the groupings of people at the camp.  It seems that as Bruno's rejection of Lt. Kotler becomes more pronounced and defined, he becomes more interested in what Lt. Kotler stands against.  It seems that as their relationship becomes one of antipathy, Bruno's relationship to the "other" becomes stronger.

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno and his family have moved to "a desolate place" because of Bruno's father's "very important" job. Bruno is most unimpressed and is horrified at the differences between "Out-With" and his beloved home in Berlin, with the most amazing banisters to slide down. Bruno's father is the commandant with many soldiers reporting to him, one of which is Lieutenant Kotler who Bruno sees quite a lot. Gretel, his sister, and "a hopeless case," is always trying to impress the lieutenant and Bruno's father even invites him to have dinner with the family. It is at this dinner that Bruno sees a most unpleasant and even shocking side to Lieutenant Kotler. 

Bruno dislikes Lieutenant Kotler who "strides around as if he owns the place" and he is particularly unimpressed because he "laughs with your sister and whispers with your mother" (chapter 13). Both Bruno and Shmuel agree that the lieutenant is a "bully." This is reinforced when the family are eating dinner with Lieutenant Kotler. Pavel, the waiter (who used to be a doctor) is behaving strangely and very nervously although no one seems to understand why and he accidentally spills wine all over the lieutenant. Although it is not explicitly (actually) stated, it is obvious that he mistreats Pavel and Bruno wonders if that is perhaps normal practice at "Out-With." 

Bruno takes an almost immediate dislike to Lieutenant Kotler from the second chapter when he is suddenly accosted by the soldier with "very blond hair" who looked the boy up and down as though "he wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do with one." His brutal look and coldness unnerve Bruno and his antipathy for the nineteen-year-old lieutenant increases. Then, in Chapter 7 Bruno again encounters the Nazi officer who

...came in and out as though he owned the place.... There was an atmosphere around him that made Bruno feel very cold and want to put a jumper on.

This time he is talking to Gretel, who laughs too loudly at his pleasantries. Bruno is appalled that she would flirt with this young man, and when she disparages him before the officer, Bruno reveals that she is only twelve, embarrassing Gretel, who has pretended to be older so that the lieutenant would be interested in her. But, Bruno must ask him for a tire because he wishes to make a swing. Teasing Bruno, the officer tells him about a fat sergeant who has a "tire" around him; however, when Pavel, the old man who serves dinner in the evenings approaches, Lt. Kotler acridly orders him to take Bruno to a shed where there are old tires. Then, he orders Pavel to be sure to wash his hands, "you dirty jude---," causing Bruno and Gretel to blush at his cruel epithet.

Again in Chapter 13 Bruno talks with his friend Shmuel who is brought to the house to work. Little Shmuel is greatly frightened of Kotler--even his name causes the boy to tremble. Later that same evening, Lieutenant Kotler joins the family for dinner and old Pavel is so nervous as he serves the lieutenant that at one point he drops a bottle of wine and some of it spills on the young officer's lap; Lt. Kotler calls him names and beats him, but no one says anything.

Bruno later makes a list of all the reasons he dislikes the blond-haired officer: He never really smiles; Gretel flirts shamelessly with him; he acts as though he is "in charge" when his father is gone and he whispers to his mother in an inappropriate manner and she calls him "precious," while he is somehow already in the house in the early morning; he once shot a dog for barking; he was brutal to Pavel. Once as Bruno reads Treasure Island, the lieutenant snatches it from him, refusing to return it.

A similar incident to that of Pavel occurs in Chapter 15 when Shmuel is brought to the house to clean the glassware for dinner because he has such small fingers. As Bruno eats some cold chicken from the "fridge," he notices that Shmuel watches him, so he offers the meat to his friend, who greedily devours it, but somehow Kotler knows he has eaten something. When poor Shmuel denies stealing any food because Bruno is his "friend," the lieutenant asks Bruno is he knows the boy. Terrified, Bruno denies Shmuel. Afterwards, he is ashamed of his cowardice, and goes to the fence to see Shmuel, but does not see him for several days. Shmuel's face is badly bruised, and Bruno knows that the sadistic Kotler is responsible.

I think that one of the most striking elements about the relationship between Bruno and Kotler is how the former perceives the latter as a threat.  Bruno senses that Lieutenant Kotler is inauthentic.  He feels that Kotler is only interested in power and that Kotler wishes to "move in" on the home that Bruno's father is absent from with his work responsibilities.  Bruno recognizes that Kotler is more interested in power and prestige than anything else.  The way Pavel and then Shmuel are abused by Kotler is one reflection of this.  Another reflection is how Kotler seems to enjoy showing off for Gretel, who is enamored with the image he presents.

There is evident tension between Bruno and Kotler.  Kotler recognizes that he cannot sway Bruno with his prestige.  For his part, Bruno recognizes Kotler as a phony and someone who is more involved with his own stature.  The relationship between both does not seem to change, remaining one in which the austere embrace of Nazi ideology cuts off any chance for real human communication.

There are several significant scenes throughout the novel that are considered important experiences in Bruno's life which not only change his perspective but have both positive and negative results.

In Chapter 7, Bruno builds himself a tire swing which he accidently falls off of and scrapes his knee. Pavel, a Jewish prisoner and servant, witnesses Bruno's fall and is quick to come to his aid. While Pavel is bandaging Bruno's wound, he tells Bruno that he was a doctor. Bruno begins to ask Pavel questions about how long he's been at Out-With, but before Pavel can answer, Bruno's mother walks in. This experience is significant in Bruno's life because for the first time, he recognizes Pavel's generosity and views him as more than simply a servant. Bruno's friendly encounter with Pavel not only increases his perspective but allows Bruno to have empathy for Pavel and question why his father did not intercede when Leutinenant Kotler mercilessly beat Pavel.

Another important life experience takes place in Chapter 10 when Bruno meets Shmuel for the first time. Bruno's initial interaction with Shmuel develops into a blossoming friendship. Despite the fact that Shmuel is behind the huge fence at Auschwitz because he is a Jewish prisoner, both boys become close friends and visit with each other as often as they can. Bruno brings Shmuel food, and their conversations fill Bruno with purpose and happiness.

Bruno's decision to help Shmuel find his father is another significant experience throughout his life. In Chapter 19, Bruno changes into the prisoner uniform that Shmuel gives him and climbs underneath the fence. As the boys search for Shmuel's father, they find themselves herded into a group of prisoners heading towards the gas chamber. Tragically, both boys die in the gas chamber. Although fatal, Bruno's decision to risk extreme punishment to help his friend expresses his sincere love for Shmuel, which is significant to Boyne's overall message in the novel.

The “protagonist” means the main character in a literary work. This character is the primary interest in terms of psychological features or in the way the plot develops. The protagonist’s opponent is called the “antagonist.”

The title of this work features a boy in striped pajamas—this seems to refer to Shmuel, who is a secondary character. In the end, however, Bruno, who is the protagonist of the novel, also dons these pajamas. The novel traces Bruno’s life, from the time his family prepares to leave Berlin to his eventual death in the gas chamber. His growing friendship with Shmuel is a cause of personal development, as he grows close to a boy who is very different from him; their closeness is symbolized by his eventually wearing the pajamas.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a post-modern, historical fiction, and children's novel written by Irish novelist John Boyne, originally published in 2006. Set in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, the novel tells the story of nine-year-old Bruno, the son of a Commandant in the German Army, who befriends a Jewish boy by the name of Shmuel, a child prisoner in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Their unlikely friendship sets the entire premise of the novel. Both Bruno and Shmuel are quite lonely before they meet each other; they find solace in one another and form an interesting bond, and the readers are shown how different the boys' experiences are.

Boyne incorporates many socially and politically relevant and, according to some critics, controversial themes as well, such as the following: the power of friendship, the importance of family, ethics and morality, race and culture, freedom and confinement, the consequences of war, hatred and malice, the sufferings of the Jews during the Holocaust, and death.

The book received mixed to positive reviews; some praised Boyne's carefully constructed narrative, while others pointed out that the book has several historical inaccuracies. Nonetheless, the novel gained immense commercial success and numerous adaptions have been made, including the award-winning 2008 film of the same title, directed by Mark Herman and starring Asa Butterfield and Jack Scanlon.

The two main characters in this poignant story are Bruno and Shmuel. Bruno is the son of a Nazi commandant who moves with his family onto a property sharing a border with Auschwitz. Bruno loved the life he lived with his family in Berlin and struggles to adjust to the idea of moving. He is not impressed with Nazi ideology, and although his character is initially weak, he proves himself to be kind and compassionate, sacrificing his own life rather than letting his friend die alone.

Shmuel is a Polish Jewish boy and a prisoner in Auschwitz who makes friends with Bruno when the two encounter each other on their respective sides of the fence. Shmuel, like Bruno, displays a certain innocence and does not fully understand the Nazi machinations that have resulted in his imprisonment.

Other characters we meet include Bruno's sister Gretel, who is an enthusiastic supporter of the Nazi ideology and everything that Adolf Hitler and her father are working towards. In a practical demonstration of her love for the Nazi party, Gretel gives up her prized collection of dolls in exchange for Nazi propaganda literature and posters.

Bruno's father is a high-ranking Nazi official and is very proud of his role. Bruno's mother seems to have little understanding of what is going on around her.

Other characters include Pavel, a Jewish servant who works in Bruno's home and used to be a doctor. Lieutenant Kotler is a Nazi guard whom Gretel enjoys flirting with. Herr Lizst is the tutor hired to teach Bruno and Gretel all about Nazi ideology.

Any character sketch of Bruno would have to include his non- conformist manner.  Bruno is the constant voice of dissent.  He voices dissonance when the family make the move away from Berlin.  He is in consistent disagreement with Gretel's infatuation with Nazism and its trappings of social power.  He breaks the rules of his parents in going to the fence and interacting with the people in the "striped pajamas."  Even his manner of speaking is one where dissent is evident.  "Out- With" and "The Fury" reveals a characterization that cannot make sense out of that which exists beyond logic.  Bruno defies what is in place of him.  He challenges the social authority in the name of what he thinks is right and what he thinks is honorable.  He does not realize this.  Bruno is simply being himself in a world where so many are seeking to be somebody else.

A similar inclusion in Bruno's character sketch would be that he comes to embody that which is universal in a context that is conditional.  At the narrative develops, Bruno comes to embody the transcendental qualities.  Ideas like him searching for a great adventure as well as standing up for the realities of friendship are in stark contrast to the condition that surrounds him.  Bruno's characterization are to embody values that are passing in the temporal setting of Nazi Germany.  It is for this reason that his death is more than the death of a child.  When he assures Shmuel in the gas chamber that they will he is his "best friend for life," it speaks volumes in how he is going to die in the name of his transcendent beliefs.  In my mind, this is a major component of Bruno's character sketch.

The son of a Nazi commander, Bruno, is the main character of The Boy with the Striped Pajamas; he has just moved to a new home which he calls "Out-With."  Although Bruno has been warned that there are certain places that he has no business exploring, the boy's adventuresome spirit leads him to break the household rules.  He meets another boy, named Shmuel, that lives on the other side of a fence.  Shmuel, a young Jewish boy, is a prisoner of Auschwitz, but Bruno has little understanding of the purpose of the concentration camp.  Bruno's budding friendship with Shmuel becomes one of the central themes of the novel.

In Chapter 19, Bruno decides to help Shmuel find his father by crawling underneath the fence and dressing up as a Jewish prisoner to avoid detection. Once Bruno enters the concentration camp, he mentions to Shmuel that he doesn't like the camp and feels uncomfortable. When Bruno tells Shmuel that he wants to go home, Shmuel reminds Bruno that he promised to help him find his father. Unfortunately, the boys cannot find any evidence that would lead them to Shmuel's father and Bruno decides to walk back to the fence. As soon as the boys turn to leave, however, ten soldiers surround the area of the camp where they are standing and command everyone to begin marching. The boys are never specifically discovered by any soldier or prisoner, but they are forced to march with a group to the gas chambers, where they eventually die. 

The specific answer to your question is "ten soldiers" who remain unnamed.  Here is the exact quotation:

Right at that moment, there was a loud whistle and ten soldiers--more than Bruno had ever seen gathered in one place before--surrounded an area of the camp, the area in which Bruno and Shmuel were standing.

Bruno has crossed the fence for two reasons:  to have a last "goodbye" with his friend before going back to Berlin and to help Shmuel find his father.  Shmuel even has a set of "striped pajamas" that "don't smell very nice" ready for Bruno.  Right before the previous quotation, Bruno and Shmuel are talking about the sadness in not being able to find Shmuel's father.  Their conversation is cut short by the "ten soldiers" and the "loud whistle."  These soldiers are whistling in order to get the people to "go on marches."  What the boys do not realize is that the prisoners will be marched directly into the gas chambers and killed.  Therefore it is unfortunate that the "ten soldiers" find the boys while they are together on the same side of the fence.

Bruno hears Hitler referred to as "The Führer."  It is through Bruno's mispronunciation that he refers to him as "The Fury."  This becomes the name he gives to the Nazi leader. "The Fury" is representative of how Bruno sees Hitler.  An example of this would be when Bruno calls him "quite the rudest guest he had ever witnessed."  Bruno's name reflects both the power that Hitler possesses and also the way he treats others.  Bruno notes this in how Eva is treated.  

In giving him the name of "The Fury," Bruno demonstrates a couple of interesting qualities.  The first is that Bruno's mispronunciation is reflective of how distorted life under Hitler actually is.  Bruno's inability to speak correctly mirrors in the inability for others to act effectively under Nazi rule.  Another interesting element that emerges from Bruno's name for Hitler is that "the fury" represents how Hitler rules.  His position of power is reflective of the force and strength with which he controls others. Thus, as Bruno mispronounces his name, he actually effectively communicates his condition of power. In giving him the name of "the Fury," it is clear that Bruno articulates some distinct qualities of the Nazi leader.  Just as "Out-With," the name Bruno gives to Auschwitz, reflects specific qualities behind it, the name given to Hitler as "the Fury" mirrors particular traits.

In Chapter 17, Bruno mentions several things that suggest his life has changed. At the beginning of the chapter, Bruno overhears his mother and father arguing in his father's office. Bruno's mother was yelling at her husband about his appalling job, and she tells him that she needs to leave for Berlin with the children. Bruno remembers how he felt about Berlin and mentions that so many things have changed since he left. He cannot remember the names of two of his three friends, and says that they have probably forgotten about him by now. His grandmother has passed away, and his grandfather has gone senile. Bruno also mentions that he's grown used to "Out-With." Bruno initially was worried about studying with Herr Liszt, but says he doesn't mind him anymore. Bruno also mentions that he is getting along much better with Maria than he ever thought possible. Bruno says that Gretel is going through a phase where she is not as annoying, and his afternoon conversations with Shmuel bring him joy. Bruno's new feelings of satisfaction drastically differ from his original feelings about his new home and life.

I think that this becomes one of the most essential questions in the novel.  The fact is that "the boy in the striped pajamas" can be seen as both Bruno and Shmuel.  When Bruno first notices people like Shmuel, he makes the claim that they are wearing "pajamas."  Yet, in order for Bruno to live up to the commitment of friendship with Shmuel, it becomes evident that he must don his own "pajamas" in order to go to the other side of the fence.  It is at this point where both of them represent "the boy in the striped pajamas."  It does not matter than one is German and the other Jewish.  It does not matter that one is a direct target of the Nazi practices, and the other is the son of one who is in the position of power of said practices.  It does not matter that they are different.  At the moment when Bruno crosses over the fence, they are "the boy in the striped pajamas."  They are the same. It might be this point that Boyne is making.  Underneath the cosmetic exterior, there is a degree of sameness that should enable people being brought together and not keeping them apart. 

Bruno's life dramatically changes once he moves from Berlin to Auschwitz, where his father is in charge of the concentration camp. Despite Bruno's protests, he becomes a figurative slave to his new surroundings. Bruno can no longer play with his three best friends, explore his beautiful five-story home, or slide down its massive banister. He is also away from his loving grandparents and cannot enjoy the busy Berlin city streets. Instead, Bruno is forced to look out his window and wonder why there are so many people wearing striped pajamas. After Bruno begins to develop a friendship with a Jewish prisoner named Shmuel, the massive fence prevents them from playing together. Bruno cannot have a typical friendship with Shmuel because of the threatening surrounding environment. Despite the oppressive, cold environment of Auschwitz, Bruno gets used to it and does not mind his new home. His blossoming friendship with Shmuel makes him forget about his former life in Berlin, and he eventually accepts the fact that he will be staying at Auschwitz for an extended period of time.