The narrator gives even more background information about Baba and Ali in chapter four. The year Baba was born, Ali's parents were killed. Baba's father, a judge, took the orphan boy into his home, as his own son. Despite their close childhood, however, Baba never calls Ali his friend, a habit Amir replicates. The ethnic difference between the Pashtuns, Baba's people, and the Hazaras, Ali's people, appears inseparable.
Amir's memories of Hassan always carry a sense of foreboding, as the frequently points out that they only last for twelve years. The memories include visits by nomads and trips to the cinema. During the day, Amir goes to school and Hassan works as a servant boy. In the afternoons, they retreat to their special place, a pomegranate tree, where Amir reads Afghan legends to.....
