Which event is explicitly connected to the loyalty theme and its consequences in the early chapters?

• A. Baba's relationship with Ali
• B. Hassan's rape and its long-term consequences
• C. Sanaubar's departure
• D. Amir's dream

Answer: (B)

Loyalty under pressure and its consequences are at the heart of this moment. In the early chapters, Amir and Hassan are close friends, and Hassan’s loyalty is shown in how he stands up for Amir and protects him in a violent situation. When Hassan is attacked, Amir does not intervene, and afterward he tries to conceal his own guilt, which reveals a breach of loyalty to his friend. That breach becomes the seed for deep, lasting consequences: Amir’s sense of guilt haunts him, their friendship fractures, and the dynamics with Baba shift as the loyalty between family and friend is strained. The ripple effects—Ali and Hassan’s departure, the shifting power balance, and the weight of Amir’s later choices—all stem from that moment. The other events touch on different themes or facets of life in Kabul, but they do not tie as directly to loyalty being tested and the lasting fallout in the same explicit way as Hassan’s ordeal.