Despite overwhelming odds, as the book ends, Alex has not only survived the mean streets of the Soviet Union, he's also managed to escape to Finland with his closest friends. Now that's what you call an epic win.
The one bummer is that Peter has decided to head back to the Soviet Union. He has good reason, however: He wants to go "'back to Moscow and get some more children'" (13.85) to help escape the country. Although it makes us sad that Peter won't be able to enjoy this newfound freedom, we give him props for putting himself in harm's way to give others a fighting chance. Plus, this choice shouldn't be all that surprising to us—it's very much in line with the Peter we've grown to know and love over the course of The Wild Children.
For his part, Alex is overjoyed to finally reach the Promised Land. To make things even better, he's met at the shore by Katriana Sergyeva, his former teacher, who he admires quite deeply. It's the perfect ending for Alex, who's grown from a twelve-year-old boy without a care in the world to a card-carrying "wild child" who helps nearly a dozen kids get a fresh start on life. After all of that, Alex sure deserves some comfort, both in the form of his new home of Finland and a reunion with the teacher who saved his life in the first place.