The inhabitants of Himmel Street continue to struggle for money and food. Rudy, in particular, is hungry, and Liesel is sick of pea soup. They join a gang of young boys who steal apples, and Liesel eats so many that she vomits, very happy with herself.

Analysis

In this chapter, more about Frau Hermann’s motivations for sharing her library and books with Liesel are revealed. Also, Liesel learns that what the town perceives as Frau Hermann’s craziness is a result of her grief for her dead son. When Liesel says, “I’m sorry,” she is aware of how those are such giant words, but they don’t seem to have much effect on Frau Hermann.

Liesel continues to recognize the hold that words possess over her; she remembers how they’ve been able to knock her to the floor with sadness and lift her up with feelings of power, which is what happens in Frau Hermann’s library.

The apple stealing demonstrates Liesel’s growing knack for thievery. The fact that she shares this with Rudy is important for what will become of her book stealing career later on.