Ten-year-old Peter is an orphan. He intends to be a soldier like his beloved father, though Leo Matienne knows that Peter is “a gentle boy and not really cut out for soldiering” (83). Leo calls Peter the “little cuckoo bird of the attic world” (37) because he is always popping his head out of the window to talk with him. Peter respectfully takes care of the elderly Vilna Lutz as much as he looks after Peter, unhappily eating starvation rations and practicing marching to satisfy the old soldier’s commands. Peter believes in personal honor and in telling the truth—virtues that he initially thinks all soldiers possess—and feels betrayed when he learns that his mentor Vilna Lutz has been lying. Peter’s quest to find Adele and assist the elephant becomes a journey of discovery—about himself and the world. Peter learns that he values family and love, rather than the “foolishness” of warfare and soldiery.

Peter is a sensitive, emotional boy, and despite moments of despair and doubt, Peter trusts his heart. He empathizes with the elephant’s heartbreak at losing her family, as the same thing happened to him. Like Leo Matienne, Peter embraces possibility and perseveres to make changes and right the wrongs done to him, Adele, and the elephant.