Bravery is exhibited by all of the citizens of Riswyk, particularly the children, who show immense courage in plotting against the powerful occupying Nazis. The nature of the gold-smuggling scheme means that the children must constantly encounter the Nazi soldiers, who are encamped by the fiord next to the town. These soldiers often watch the children with interest. The children must manage their stress in these moments; they are required to act in an innocent and carefree manner while burdened with the knowledge that they are involved in something illicit that could bring immense disciplinary consequences for themselves and for the adults in their lives if they were to be caught.

The children’s bravery is most effectively depicted each time they endure the Nazis’ presence, and rising tension ensues whenever they deliberately approach the watching soldiers. To emphasize the disparity between the children and the soldiers, McSwigan employs a simile that illustrates the soldiers’ power and physical presence, stating, “Near at hand these grim grey marching soldiers towered like giants to the boy on his sled” (50). Furthermore, McSwigan emphasizes the fact that the soldiers are on patrol and armed with weapons: “[N]earest were the sentries that patrolled between the stacked rifles and the road down from the mountains.