Cab ride


When Milos is being taken hostage in the cab and the Germans notice his scars, why do they let him go?

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because they were most likely going to enlist him in the german army, but his wrists being cut voided any chance of him joining. Do u remember the scene when him and the counselor i believe are chatting and he tells milos that he could go to prison for intentionally dodging the draft by cutting his wrists....pretty sure thats why. :D

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This is possible, but I wondered if it also might be that the German officer has talked about the stupid boy who tried to kill himself to the other officers. When they see the cuts on his wrists, they realize this is who he is. That's the way I took it. But your version probably makes more sense.

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In the book it is implied that the German general (or whatever rank the superior officer is) lets him go after noticing the scars because he sympathises with him in some way. Whether this is because he feels Milos has been through enough already, or whether the general has had similar (ie. suicidal) thoughts, or for some other reason, is left unresolved.

Incidentally, it is also implied in the book that Milos was taken away with the SS officers to be executed as the person (=scapegoat) responsible for the preceding attack on that same train. That is presumably why Hubicka is so grateful to Milos upon his return to the station, that is, if Hubicka had been on the platform, HE would have been taken by the Germans (and presumably would have been executed).

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When the old commanding officer was standing next to Milos and looking at Milos' scarred wrists, you can clearly see that he, too, has scars on his wrists; almost identical to Milos' scars.

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yeah I just looked back on that scene and that old commanding officer has the same scar on one of his wrists.

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Brilliant observation: well done for solving that question!

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