In John Boyne's celebrated novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno's father is promoted to the esteemed position of Commandant and transferred to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Bruno and his family are forced to move from their lovely, three-story home located in Berlin, Germany to Auschwitz, which is depicted as a desolate, unforgiving environment, where a massive barbed wire fence surrounds the concentration camp.

Bruno is against his family moving and severely critical of his father's decision to leave Berlin. Bruno loves his elegant Berlin home and spends the majority of his leisure time sliding down the long banister and exploring the many nooks and crannies throughout the home. Bruno also enjoys living in close proximity to his friends and grandparents.

When Bruno's family arrives at Auschwitz, Bruno and Gretel struggle to comprehend their new environment and despise their dreary, small home. Initially, Gretel thinks that they may have moved to the countryside but cannot explain all the men and children wearing striped pajamas. Bruno is also perplexed by their new environment and decides to explore the unfamiliar surroundings.

As the story progresses, Bruno adapts to his environment after meeting a young Jewish prisoner named Shmuel and developing a close friendship with him. Eventually, Bruno climbs underneath the barbed wire fence and helps search for Shmuel's father. Tragically, Bruno and Shmuel are herded into a tightly packed group of prisoners and led to the gas chambers, where they die in each other's arms.