The scene between Bruno's father and the group of five men implies to the reader that the father is a capable, superior leader.

In chapter 5, Bruno peeks over the banister in his new home and observes his father meeting with five other men. According to Bruno, the men don’t stack up to his father. Bruno compares them to his father and concludes they aren't "as handsome,” their uniforms aren’t as “freshly pressed,” their boots aren't “so polished,” and their voices aren't “so booming.” The quotes imply inferiority. The men lack the style, confidence, and authority that Bruno’s father possesses. Their clothes don’t look as nice, and their dispositions aren’t as commanding, which is why their voices don’t “boom” like the strong voice of Bruno’s father.

Near the end of the scene, the men stand “in a row together like toy soldiers” before departing. The simile—the comparison to toy soldiers—implies servility. It’s as if the men are objects controlled by Bruno’s father. As the fragmented quotes from the men indicate, they lack “discipline” and “efficiency,” which is why Bruno’s father has to come to “Out-With” (Auschwitz). As the scene showcases Bruno’s father's leadership skills, it implies to the reader that his father was assigned to the concentration camp to help bring order to the atrocious, genocidal policies of the Nazis.