The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is set in Nazi Germany during World War II. Narrated by Death, the novel features Liesel Meminger, a girl who grows up in an adoptive family where Jews are not seen as evil, distancing themselves from the attitudes of the rest of Nazi Germany. Max, a Jew who lives in the Hubermann's basement, carries guilt like anyone else. He left his family, put a man's life in danger, and put an entire family in jeopardy by living in their basement. Nazi Germany makes Max feel this way, persecuting Jews and threatening anyone who shows compassion towards the Jewish religion; of course, guilt is a burden carried on the shoulders of many characters in The Book Thief. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In The Book Thief, Max is the character who carries the most guilt. When a Nazi soldier knocks on Max's family's door, his mother finds a way to make him escape, but only Max can go, and he decides to leave: “If only he had turned for one last look at his family as he left the apartment. Maybe then the guilt wouldn't have been so heavy. No final goodbye” (193). Max feels selfish and cruel, escapes from the Führer's arms and lives a new life while his family is tortured and killed. He also feels guilty because he endangered the life of a dear friend, Walter Kugler, who helped Max find a family to live with. When Max arrives at 33 Himmelstrasse and Rosa and Hans take care of him, Max says, "'Better than nothing,'" Max assured him. "Better than I deserve, thank you."" (208). Max feels guilty because he knows that living in their cellar puts the Hubermanns in great danger. The Hubermanns with three people barely have anything to eat, so Max also feels guilty for taking what little food they have the guilt of a position where almost all of his decisions will hurt or affect everyone around him Nazi Germany, suppressed by the Führer's iron fist, becomes so terrible to the Jews and citizens that they are all unhappy because of the circumstances of that place. . Death describes the burden of survivor's guilt: “To live was to live. The price was guilt and shame” (208). take for granted and that he should feel guilty for having them. The Hubermanns are also tormented by shame because society constantly tells them that they should feel guilty and ashamed for doing the right thing. When Michael feels guilty about making it out of the war alive, he says to Rosa Hubermann: “'Why do I want to live? I shouldn't want to, but I do”' (487). He feels derelict for not staying with his mother during the air raid, thus feeling blameworthy for putting himself before his mother. Michael Holtzapfel has experienced the death of his brother and the mutilated and dead corpses of the war, yet he still wants to live, hating himself for it. In Germany, during World War II, whether you were a Jew or one of Hitler's most loyal followers, Nazi Germany was so cruel that it made people feel guilty for wanting to live. Mein Kampf, by Adolf Hitler, inspires the lives of many hate-filled individuals but also saved the life of Max Vandenburg. On the way home Hubermann receives a book from his savior: "Mein Kampf arrived in mid-May 1940, with a key attached to the inside of the cover. The man is a genius, Max decided, but there was still a.