The background of the novel is during World War II, describing the stories of some simple and kind people in the brutal war and combining the madness of that era with the spiritual growth of a young girl. The novel describes the story from a unique first-person perspective of death and uses anthropomorphic techniques to restore "death" to the image of a person. She is not only "stealing" books because her stealing is not due to greed, she only steals books she wants to have. Instead, she is "stealing" life-sustaining supplies, not only to maintain her own life but also to those around her. Liesel gained hope of survival from words but was also tortured by words. Her "stealing" is an act of occupying other people's property for free.