Main and Secondary Characters

Liesel Meminger
The protagonist of the book, Lielsel is also its moral center. Having lost her father
because of his Communist sympathies, and soon thereafter her brother and mother, she
understands the pain of loss well and these experiences lead to her actions and attitudes
towards the other characters. When Liesel first comes to live with her foster family, the
Hubermanns, Liesel has a hard time trusting or allowing herself to be vulnerable and is
characterised more by defensiveness than compassion. But as she is treated by her foster
family and new friends with kindness and gentleness, she opens herself to the pain of
others, while learning to express and transform her own pain. Liesel is not only portrayed
as a caring person, who genuinely cares about specific people in her life such as Hans,
Rudy and Max, but she also cares about justice in general and feels frustrated and angry
at the injustices perpetuated by Hitler and war. At the start of the story Liesel is also
without words and cannot read. She understands that there is great power in words,
though and she hungers for them. She reads with her Papa and visits Frau Hermann in her
library, one of the greatest places Liesel has ever seen. She also reads to those around her
in the basement when there were air raids. Books became a source of comfort for herself
and those around her. Liesel realises that words can be ugly things, especially in the way
in which Hitler can use words to encourage the German people to carry out horrific acts
of violence and cause so much suffering and were responsible for taking her mother and
brother away as well as Max having to hide in the basement. Nonetheless, she uses words
to write her own story of 'The Book Thief'.
Hans Hubermann
Hans, Liesel foster father, is the heart of the novel. Generous, kind and patient, Hans is
immediately sympathetic when Liesel first arrived on Himmel Street and remains this
way till the end of the book. He represents a paternal self-sacrifice and the wisdom of
experience. Hans is only ever strict or harsh with Liesel on a few occasions and that is
only because he wants to protect her and teach her something. With his insistence on
education and self-determination, he is the opposite of the condescending leaders of the
town Hans initially seems quite passive about his life. He has no particular ambitions and
goes where circumstances lead him. Hans however is no coward as he is one of the few
characters who directly challenges Hitler's regime. He cannot stand to see others in pain
and this sometimes causes to put himself and his family in jeopardy.
Max Vandenburg
Max, like Liesel, comes to the story fresh from experiencing great loss. He feels deeply
guilty for leaving his family to save himself, an act he sees as a choice rather than a
necessity to survive. He also feels ashamed of the burden he places on the Hubermanns
since he knows hes putting them in serious danger by being in their home. He is often
conflicted between his desire to stay alive and his wish to make life easier for the
Hubermanns by leaving, but ultimately he knows leaving would likely mean his death.
Despite everything, his wish to live is strong, and he fights to stay alive against the cold
and malnourishment and illness as he hides out.

In fact, that fighting spirit defines Maxs character to a great degree. As he lives isolated
in the Hubermanns basement, he imagines literally fighting Hitler and countless
Germans, and even as hes pummeled in his imagination he struggles on. We also learn
that he used to fight a boy in his neighborhood, and though he rarely won, he never gave
up. Later he is led to the labor camp at Dachau, and though we dont see his experiences
there, theres little doubt that he still had to fight to stay alive. The only time Max seems
not to be fighting is when he is with Liesel. In those instances he is suddenly very soft
and kind.
Rudy Steiner
Rudy is kind and loyal, specifically when it comes to Liesel. He clearly cares about her,
and he often sticks by her side and tries to protect her if necessary. When Viktor
Chemmel begins berating Liesel, Rudy tells him to leave her alone, and when Viktor
tosses Liesels book in the river, Rudy doesnt hesitate to dive in after it, not because it
holds any value to him but because he knows its important to Liesel. But Liesel isnt the
only character he tries to protect. His troubles in the Hitler Youth start when he intervenes
to help Tommy Mller, whose ear problems make him unable to hear the marching
orders. Rather than stay quiet, however, Rudy helps his friend, or at least tries to, and
never shies away from protecting others because hes worried about being punished or
hurt himself.
In several ways Rudy is also representative of a typical teenager, and he shows that even
in extraordinary circumstances people will continue to have rather ordinary concerns.
Although theres a war going on, his main interest is usually soccer or winning races. His
conflicts in the Hitler Youth have nothing to do with ideology. Theyre simply about the
fact that he and Franz Deutscher dont get along. At first he steals because hes hungry,
but he keeps doing it because he gets a thrill out of it. Everything about him suggests
youthful innocence about the world, until his father is drafted. Once that happens, his
character undergoes a dramatic shift. He becomes angry and somewhat withdrawn, and
he begins to recognize the effects that political events have on people who are seemingly
not involved. Even so, he never loses the kindness that made him friends with Liesel
when she first arrived in Molching.
Rosa Hubermann
Liesels stepmother. Unlike her husband, Rosa first comes across as cold and impatient.
The story reveals through her treatment of Liesel and willingness to take in Max,
however, that beneath her tough exterior she is in fact kind and caring.
Alex Steiner
Rudys father. Alexs inability to sacrifice his son to the Nazi training camp results in his
being drafter into the army. At the end of the book, he is filled remorse for having
survived the war while his family died.
Ilsa Hermann
The mayors wife. At the start of the book Ilsa is so shattered by the death of her son she
can barely function as a person, but once she begins interacting with Liesel, she opens up
and show sensitivity and concern.

Frau Holtzapfel
The Hubermanns neighbor. She initially comes across as mean and uncharitable, as she
has an ongoing feud with Rosa Hubermann and is rude to Liesel, but she turns out to be
extremely vulnerable after the death of her son.
Michael Holtzapfel
Frau Holtzapfels son, who survives the war. Michael is destroyed by guilt over having
survived, and wanting to continue living.
Robert Holtzapfel
Michaels brother. Michael dies in Russia.
Frau Diller
Owner of the candy store. One of the most patriotic figures in the book, she is a rulefollower and a mean, ungenerous character. She embodies the Hitler ideal of the good
German who blindly follows orders.
Hans Hubermann, Junior
Rosas and Hanss son. Like Frau Diller, he is deeply patriotic, and unquestioning in his
faith in Hitler and the regime. He and his father do not get along.
Trudy Hubermann
Rosa and Hanss daughter. She is not present in the novel, but its clear that she and her
parents are not close.
Tommy Mller
Liesel and Rudys classmate. Physically weak because of his bad ears, he is often pathetic
and pitiable.
Arthur Berg
The first leader of the apple-stealing gang. Tough but fair, he shares the loot equally with
the other kids.
Walter Kugler
The man who helps Max escape. Walter is brave like Max.
Franz Deutscher
The leader of Rudys Hitler Youth group. A sadist who represents the Nazi ideal, he takes
special pleasure in tormenting and humiliating Rudy.
Viktor Chemmel
The second leader of the apple-stealing gang. Like Franz, he is a sadist who exploits his
own power.
Reinhold Zucker
The man who trades seats with Hans on the bus, saving his life. Zucker is young,
impulsive, and a bad loser. His temper gets him killed.