When Shmuel appears with a black eye, Bruno immediately assumes it was caused by a bully.
Bruno's Assumption About Shmuel's Black Eye
Upon seeing Shmuel's black eye, Bruno, drawing from his own past experiences, concludes that it must have been the work of a bully. Shmuel, for his part, remains silent about the incident, not disclosing how he sustained the injury. This silence leads Bruno to project his own understanding of such injuries onto Shmuel's situation.
Bruno's previous encounters with bullies during his time at school in Berlin likely shaped his immediate interpretation, as he had faced similar aggressors in his own life. His belief highlights his innocent perspective and limited understanding of the harsh realities of Shmuel's world within the concentration camp.