Chapter 28 Summary: Budapest – Forgery, Rescue, and a Movie Star

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Nico, now living with Romani refugees, learns forgery from Papo and produces identity cards and passports. He decides to leave the camp to find and free his family. Traveling through Yugoslavia and Hungary, he adopts various identities, steals a Nazi soldier’s coat and hat, and witnesses a film starring actress Katalin Karády. When SS troops arrest her, Nico helps her escape. She takes him to her Budapest apartment. Two days later, Katalin is arrested and tortured for months. After her release, she finds her apartment stripped—but Nico returns with something he saved. Meanwhile, Fannie has been rescued from the Danube by an actress (Katalin) and hides with twenty-two other children in a basement, waiting for word of Nico.

Key Events

Papo teaches Nico forgery techniques; Nico produces dozens of identity cards and ration certificates for Romani refugees.
Nico leaves the Romani camp despite Mantis’s warning that camps will kill him; Papo gives him supplies and a Romani proverb: “Some lies are easier to believe than the truth.”
Nico travels through Yugoslavia and Hungary, using forged papers and the stolen coat of a Nazi soldier he robbed after a beating.
In Szeged, Nico sneaks into a cinema to watch a film starring Katalin Karády.
SS troops raid the cinema and arrest Katalin, accusing her of propaganda; Nico, wearing the Nazi coat, is ordered to guard her but instead helps her escape.
Katalin drives Nico to her Budapest apartment; he introduces himself as Hans Degler, but she sees through his pose.
Two days later, German transports arrest Katalin; she is beaten and tortured in prison for months.
Upon release, Katalin finds her apartment looted; Nico appears at the window, claiming he saved something.
Fannie, rescued from the Danube by the same actress, hides in a basement with other children; she repeatedly asks about Nico but receives no answer.

Character Development

Nico: Transitions from a forger for Romani refugees to a bold traveler using multiple identities. His risk-taking grows: he steals from a Nazi soldier, helps a stranger escape, and later returns to help Katalin after her imprisonment. He quotes his grandfather’s maxim about forgiveness, showing his evolving moral compass.
Katalin Karády: Introduced as a glamorous but defiant actress who openly opposes the Nazis. She recognizes Nico’s deception but accepts him, and later endures torture without breaking. Her vulnerability after release reveals her humanity.
Fannie: Still hopeful, she clings to the possibility that Nico is alive, but the cook’s ignorance and the passage of time begin to erode her certainty.
Papo and Mantis: Represent the Romani community’s wisdom and caution. Papo’s proverb becomes Nico’s guiding philosophy.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Identity and deception: Nico’s multiple passports, his stolen Nazi uniform, and his invented life stories illustrate the theme that survival often requires a performed identity.
Lies vs. truth: Papo’s proverb, “Some lies are easier to believe than the truth,” is enacted repeatedly—Nico’s fabulous cover stories are more plausible than his real history.
Forgery as art and weapon: Nico’s drawing talent, once used for art, now serves to create documents that save lives.
Cinema as escape and mirror: The movie Nico watches offers a temporary escape from war; the film’s plot of traveling backward mirrors Nico’s desire to undo the past.
Rescue and solidarity: Katalin rescues Fannie from the Danube; Nico rescues Katalin from arrest; later, he tries to salvage something for her when she returns.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 28 brings two major strands together: Nico’s journey toward his family and Fannie’s survival. It introduces Katalin Karády, a real historical figure, as a force for resistance and compassion. The chapter deepens Nico’s character by showing his willingness to risk his life for a stranger and his commitment to a moral code he learned from his grandfather and Papo. The parallel hiding places—Nico on the road, Fannie in a basement—highlight how the war scatters even those who love each other. The proverb about lies and truth resonates through every deception Nico employs.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Nico decide to leave the Romani camp, despite the danger of entering Nazi-controlled territory?
Answer: Nico feels his real family needs him. He has learned forgery and believes he can create enough doctored paperwork to free them from camps. Though he has grown close to the Romani, his loyalty to his family compels him to go.
What does the Romani proverb “Some lies are easier to believe than the truth” mean in the context of Nico’s journey?
Answer: Nico’s true identity—a Jewish boy from Greece who once deceived his own people, studied under a Nazi officer, and now travels to a death camp—is so improbable that his invented cover stories (Hungarian musician, Polish athlete) are accepted more readily. The lie becomes a survival tool.
How does Katalin Karády’s characterization challenge Nazi authority in this chapter?
Answer: Katalin refuses to show fear when arrested, defies the SS with her confidence, and later survives torture without betraying her anti-German stance. Her celebrity status initially protects her, but she continues to act on her principles, rescuing children and sheltering a stranger. Her existence undermines the regime’s total control.