A story from Mr. Hubermann’s time in the war tells of how he writes letters for the captain, while everyone else goes into battle. His ability to write properly allows him to cheat death. Liesel parallels this occurrence many times. First she takes a book from the fire, cheating the rule that books are not allowed. Then she begins stealing books from the mayor’s wife again cheating them, stealing their property. In a way they both live for words. Liesel is opened up to a whole new world as she begins to read and write. She lives for words and Hans lives because of them. 

Their similar experience of night terrors create the connection between them described in the quote above. Although their backgrounds may seem very different, they have many similarities. They have both experienced loss of loved ones. They were both taken out of their homes and forced to live in an unfamiliar and dark place. The reader can see how similar they are and that they can empathize with one another’s situations. At the core their basic humanity can bind them together. This connection speaks to the theme of war and the formation of unlikely allies.

In this section titled “Rudy’s Youth” Rudy and Tommy experience troubles in their training with Hitler Youth. Tommy is mostly deaf, so he is unable to hear commands. When Rudy sticks up for him they are both punished. At the end of the section Liesel thinks to herself, “There is more stealing to be done.” She knows that their treatment is wrong and is angry at how unfair it is for them to be punished. Her stealing is a way to defy Hitler and all his wrongdoing in her own way. When she steals books, there is a much greater meaning, allowing her to feel she is doing right in a small way. 

The theme of death is complex as the novel is narrated by the force of death. The author portrays this narrator not as evil, but necessary. In the section titled “Death’s Diary: The Parisians,” death recounts the sights in Auschwitz. When death states, “I shiver when I remember - as I try to de-realize it,” the author shows how death itself is horrified and repulsed by the cruelty in the concentration camps. This speaks to the reality of the time and how inhumane the Nazi’s were giving the reader a better understanding of the time, as well as the situation in Germany. 

When Mr. Hubermann is drafted to the war, it seems all hope is lost. The Nazis worked to destroy all hope of having freedom ever again. Liesel’s way of standing up to the army and having a sense of hope that things will get better is to steal books. The army wants to snuff out any of these behaviors and demonstrations against their efforts by committing heinous acts and taking away loved ones. When the narrator shows Liesel's desperation, “There was no desire to steal a book, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that it would cheer her up,” the reader can see that she can no longer see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

In the very beginning of the novel the narrator states how ironic the name of Himmel Street is. Himmel translates to Heaven, but the state of the street is not very heavenly. As Liesel is there for longer and longer though, this becomes a piece of heaven for her. She creates strong bonds with the people around her as this place becomes her home. The little piece of the world that became her own was destroyed leaving her with nothing and no one. This circles back to the claim at the beginning of the novel as the heavenly sense of the street is truly gone.