Shmuel is a rather timid individual. He lives in constant fear of being beaten by the Nazi guards, and he is hesitant to disobey their orders. He tells Bruno that if the guards see him sitting by the fence, he'll get in trouble. Shmuel mentions to Bruno that the Nazi guards are bad people and tells him that Lieutenant Kotler scares him. When he is given the task of washing shot glasses at Bruno's house, Bruno offers him a piece of chicken. Shmuel is hesitant to accept the chicken because he fears Lieutenant Kotler will find out. Unfortunately, Kotler accuses Shmuel of stealing from the fridge and punishes him.
Shmuel can also be described as melancholy. Bruno mentions that Shmuel typically has a look of sorrow on his face and rarely smiles. Shmuel is described as having "an enormous pair of sad eyes," and Bruno thinks that he has never seen a skinnier or "sadder boy" in his life (Boyne 107). On several occasions, Shmuel describes difficult, unhappy situations, such as leaving Poland and being bullied. He mentions to Bruno that he does not enjoy living behind the fence and wishes that he could leave.
Shmuel is also a forgiving individual. In Chapter 15, Bruno lies to Lieutenant Kotler and claims that he does not know Shmuel. Bruno also tells Kotler that he has never seen Shmuel before in his life. Shmuel ends up being beaten by Kotler because Bruno lied. After almost a week passes by, Bruno finally sees Shmuel and asks Shmuel if he will forgive him. Shmuel quickly tells Bruno that it is all right and smiles to signify that he has forgiven Bruno.
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