Was he really a coward, as his son so brutally pointed out? Certainly, in World War I, he considered himself one. He attributed his survival to it. But then, is there cowardice in the acknowledgment of fear? Is there cowardice in being glad that you lived?
Page 106 of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Must bravery be a physical act that others can see? Can someone survive a war without feeling survivor’s guilt?