Assef- Assef may be a flat character so far into the story, but I also think that he is very crucial. He is sort of the yin-yang to Hassan. He is brutally violent and unncessarily cruel. He is a kid that lives in the same area as the main characters and he is half German and half Afghan. He seems to adore the concepts of Hitler because in a couple of conflicts he has brought him up. He wants to flush out what he believes to be trash and leave only the Pushtan in his land. On page 35 he says," Too late for Hitler. But not for us." He looks down on Hassan as a sort of dog, or animal. But at the same time he has no problem using him and embarrasing him after the kite competition. Assef feels no remorse on his actions against Hassan because to him. Hassan is not human. Assef is a cold, cruel character and there is no background information yet as to why.  He is crucial because the story keeps foreshadowing in his direction. He is at the birthday party,  and he is constantly tormenting Hassan. The story seems to foreshadow that he will play a very important role in the conflict against Amir. He will be the reason why Amir is tested. He has the  kind of personality where he feels the need to be in power over those around him, and he preys on people who he sees as weak, when in reality he is really the weak one. Assef pleases no one but himself and probably has no real loyalty. He is excellent on putting on a mask to outsiders such as parents, but his darkness runs deep. The brass knuckles that he continues to carry around are a symbol for his brutality, and I also believe that they foreshadow what is going to happen and will be involved in the conflict as well. Assef appears once again in Amir's life.  He is a Taliban officer who bought Hassan's son  Sohrab from an orphanage in Kabul.  He is still molesting children and is Sohrabresponsible for the murders of thousands of Hazara's. He is a static character as he never changes.  He remains a hateful arrogant man throughout the story. He makes Amir fight him for Sohrab and in the end he loses.  He loses the fight and his left eye to Sohrab's slingshot.