The Boy at The Top of the Mountain

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. World War I (Chapter 1)

2. An orphanage in Orléans (Chapter 2)

3. Aunt Beatrix (Chapter 3)

4. Emil and the Detectives (Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. After World War I, Wilhelm begins drinking and becomes violent. He dies when Pierrot is young, forcing Pierrot’s mother to provide for the family until she contracts tuberculosis and also dies. At school, Pierrot is bullied for being small. (Chapter 1)

2. Anshel befriends Pierrot. After Pierrot’s parents die, Mrs. Bronstein takes Pierrot in. Even though she wants to keep him, the arrangement is temporary because she cannot afford to take care of him long term. (Chapter 2)

3. Pierrot feels isolated in the orphanage and struggles to make friends. A boy named Hugo bullies him, but Pierrot tries to sympathize with him when he realizes they have had similar experiences. (Chapter 3)

4. Simone claims Hugo and Pierrot have a lot in common because Hugo’s father was also affected by World War I. This similarity creates empathy for Hugo’s character, which is further developed when she reveals that Hugo’s mother was persecuted by her husband’s family for being a Jew.