Shmuel's struggle to find his father is an example of dramaticirony because the reader recognizes that he has been killed by the Nazi guards. Given Auschwitz's reputation as a large death camp, the reader can infer that Shmuel's father died in a gas chamber like the countless other prisoners inside the concentration camp. In chapter 19, Bruno sneaks underneath the fence and helps Shmuel search for his father. Unfortunately, they cannot find Shmuel's father, and the boys are herded into a gas chamber, where they die holding onto each other.

In chapter 10, Bruno explores his surroundings and walks along the massive fence for an extended period of time. Eventually, Bruno spots a boy wearing striped pajamas sitting on the opposite side of the fence away from the other prisoners. Bruno approaches the fence and befriends the lonely boy, who introduces himself as Shmuel.

Shmuel and Bruno engage in a friendly conversation and discover that they both share the same birthday. As their conversation progresses, Bruno tells Shmuel that he is from Berlin, and Shmuel informs Bruno that he is from Poland, which is where the concentration camp is located. Bruno is confused by Shmuel's explanation and struggles to understand that "Out-With" is in Poland.

Bruno goes on to tell Shmuel his dream of becoming an explorer when he grows up, and eventually he asks his new friend how he got to "Out-With." At the beginning of chapter 12, Shmuel recalls the events that transpired before arriving at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Shmuel tells Bruno that he grew up in a small apartment above his father's watch store. Shmuel says that his father repaired and made watches for a living. According to Shmuel, his father gave him the most beautiful watch with a golden face, but it was taken from him by the Nazi soldiers before he arrived at Auschwitz. Shmuel then recalls his harrowing experience before entering the concentration camp.

In chapter 12, Shmuel describes his former life before he was taken to Auschwitz and separated from his family. From the other side of the fence, Shmuel tells Bruno that he used to live with his parents and brother above his father's watch shop. Shmuel's father collected, repaired, and sold watches for a living. Shmuel goes on tell Bruno that his father once gave him a beautiful watch with a gold face before the Nazi soldiers took it away from him. Shmuel then elaborates on how the Nazi troops invaded his community and began issuing edicts which separated and oppressed Shmuel's family and the rest of the Jewish population before they were transported to concentration camps. Toward the end of the novel, Shmuel's father disappears, and he petitions Bruno for help finding him. Tragically, Shmuel is not aware that his father has been executed in the gas chambers along with the other Jewish prisoners and desperately searches the camp with Bruno before they are also herded into a gas chamber.

Shmuel is the boy on the "other side of the fence" who Bruno befriends whilst out exploring, despite being forbidden from doing so, with "No Exceptions," in The Boy in The Striped Pajamas. He and Bruno discover that they share the same birthday and Bruno is surprised to learn that, having left Berlin, he is now in Poland. The boys discuss their lives before "everything changed" and, in chapter 12,  Shmuel recalls the flat where his family lived above his father's store. His father repaired and made watches and Shmuel particularly cherished the watch with "the golden face" that his father had made for him. He tells Bruno how the soldiers had taken it from him, "of course," expecting Bruno to understand. Bruno cannot contemplate the things that Shmuel tells him and thinks he is exaggerating, especially about living with another family in one room - "That doesn't make any sense." Bruno sees only the similarities between himself and Shmuel and is oblivious to the harsh conditions and differences, even thinking Shmuel has the advantage in having "hundreds" of boys to play with - "That's not fair at all."