The Willingness to Sacrifice for Others

This was arguably the most important theme in the book because it was seen so often. While the various people in the story were anxious to survive, they were also very willing to help others whenever possible. This was seen in stark reality when Motele, Moishele and Laibele gave up rations of their bread in order to get what they felt was needed to help Riva get well. When they learned that she needed vitamins and better food, they managed to trade bread for a tangerine. Riva worried about their sacrifice and insisted that they all share the treat, but the bottom line is that the boys made the sacrifice in order to get something they hoped would help Riva. They made this same sacrifice when they had the opportunity to get vitamins for her and even made a similar sacrifice in order...