As Bruno lies on his bed complaining about his new home, the family’s maid Maria enters his room to arrange his washed clothes. Bruno asks her if she is as unhappy with the new environment as he is, but Maria refuses to answer directly, speaking instead of the lovely garden in Berlin. When Bruno states his father made a big mistake, she admonishes him, telling him his father is a good man and sharing with him the story of her mother, who was a dresser for Bruno’s grandmother. Bruno’s father took Maria on to help them out and even paid for her mother’s health treatment and funeral. Maria looks out the window and expresses her wonderment about how Bruno’s father can now be doing what he does. Just then, Gretel interrupts them, barging into the house. She demands Maria draws her a bath, displeased to have caught Bruno and the maid talking.

Before leaving, Maria once again warns Bruno not to express his displeasure so openly because he could cause trouble for everybody. Bruno wants to cry and leaves the house running.