Consequently, of course, all the judgments he makes about other people and their actions, and his own actions, are governed entirely by his own moral standards. And so he shoulders the burden of the journey alone. Of all the people that he meets on his long journey, he doesn't feel able to trust anyone. Out of the camp and on the run he believes, not unreasonably, that 'they' are after him. After the death of his friend and teacher, Johannes, he never permits himself to have any affection for anyone. He has survived in the camp by never allowing himself to think further than the next meal. Now, what kind of person would you be if you had spent all your life in a concentration camp? The first thing you may notice about David is his extraordinary isolation. He is told to head south for Salonica, stow away on a ship sailing to Italy, and then walk north until he comes to a country called Denmark. He is given bread and water and a compass. The electric current is switched off from the perimeter fence for half a minute, just long enough for David to climb over. One day, without any explanation, a guard arranges for him to escape. He does not know anything about his parents or where he comes from, or why he is in the camp. He has lived all his life in a concentration camp somewhere in eastern Europe. This is a story about a young boy's epic journey across Europe, and his budding emotions and sense of the wonder of life.
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