Liesel and Rudy sneak into the mayor's house to discover a plate of stale cookies in the mayor's library window. Liesel takes the plate of cookies out the window and grabs The Last Human Stranger when she hears the sound of a door opening. Ilsa Hermann enters and joins Liesel. Liesel asks the mayor's wife if the library belongs to her and apologizes for thinking the mayor owned it when Ilsa confesses that the books belong to her and her deceased son. Liesel returns to Rudy's house and together they eat half the plate of cookies and share the rest with Tommy Müller. At this time, near Essen, Hans and the LSE men are playing cards for cigarettes. Reinhold Zucker, one of the soldiers, rejoices in his victory and accuses Hans of cheating when he gets cigarettes due to his victories. Hans is popular because when he wins, he shares a few cigarettes with his colleagues and offers to light them for them. In January 1943, Liesel read to a seriously injured old man at Frau Holtzapfel's house. The injured man tells Liesel to come back later; a few hours later, the old man visits Liesel at her home. The injured man is Michael, one of Holtzapfel's sons and a recent participant in the battle. When Michael has a lit cigarette, he informs Rosa of her brother's death and that Hans Junior is alive. Death explains that Michael's brother Robert died because his legs were blown off on a cold January day in Russia. . He died in hospital a few days later, with his brother by his side. Liesel reads to her grieving mother at Frau Holtzapfel's house. Liesel imagines her deceased brother returning the plate that contained the stale cookies to the mayor's house. Rosa mourns the absence of her husband, Hans, while...... middle of paper ......ing.• “Rosa sitting with the accordion, praying. 'Bring them back alive,' she repeated. (p.474)Frau Holtzapfel• Frau is distressed when she hears the news that her son, Robert, has died in Russia. Due to her grief, Frau refuses to leave her house and finds herself in the middle of an air raid. • “The women looked up and made their decision. She didn't move. Liesel is gone. She withdrew from power and rushed out of the house. (p.486)Michael Holtzapfel• Michael returns from the war without his brother and three of his fingers. Michael tries to comfort his mother, Frau, by having Liesel read as she asked. • “Can I take the girl to read?” I doubt my mother will hear it, but she said to come. »Death• He/She feels remorse for the way people die. In this case, Death feels grief over how Hans will die. • “It kills me sometimes to see people die. » (p.464)