Shmulik Stein

Stein is a soldier for the Israeli army, and he is the protagonist of the story. At the beginning of the story, he is playing backgammon with Davidoff, another soldier, when an officer from the Border Police regiment recruits Stein as a reinforcement. This leads to Stein witnessing a series of immoral events involving his new regiment. At the end of the story, Stein decides to steal a knife, possibly to punish the soldiers for their immorality.

Stein’s conversation with Davidoff at the beginning of the story introduces the fact that Stein feels out of place in the army. During the conversation, Davidoff talks about the Border Police regiment and its brutality. However, Stein just wants Davidoff to “shoot the fucking dice” (75), suggesting that Stein is not interested in any information about the army. Instead, he is only interested in the game at hand. This implies...