OK, so you probably need some translations here. Mohtaram means "respected." A mojarad is a single man. Nang and namoos mean "honor" and "pride," respectively. And, though you can probably figure this one out, a khastegar is a suitor.

Now we can get down to business. The Kite Runner is obsessed with the practice of one's principles. We think you can divide the book's principles into two categories: ethical principles and traditional principles. "You shouldn't betray your best friend (and half-brother)" is an ethical principle. "Afghan girls shouldn't talk with their fathers about datable single men" would be a traditional principle. We can all agree with the ethical principles in the book, but the traditional principles espoused by characters like Baba and the General sometimes seem slightly sexist or racist. Part of Amir's difficulty in the book is that he has to navigate between ethical principles and traditional principles. These two come into conflict more than you might think. Consider, for example, the complexities of ethnicity in the book. An ethical principle might be to love your half-brother. A traditional principle might be – according to Assef and the General and lots of Pashtuns – to treat Hazaras as inferiors. It's got to be quite confusing for Amir at times.

This, friends, is a complicated statement. Sometimes generalizations about a culture don't harm anyone: "We Irish like to have fun." Sometimes they harm everyone and are patently false: "The Irish are a bunch of drunks." So, is Baba's statement here harmless or harmful? Well, does he mean you wouldn't want a Hazara at your side when the going got tough? Maybe some context would help: Amir is recalling Baba's statement during General Taheri's visit to Baba in the hospital. General Taheri, a Pashtun, is a devoted, loyal friend. So, perhaps it's harmless to some degree. If you dig deeper, though, there's more at stake. Remember that Amir, a Pashtun, abandoned Hassan, a Hazara, in the alley. Does Baba's statement mean you want a Pashtun at your side only if you're a Pashtun? And a Hazara at your side only if you're a Hazara? Does Baba's comment further isolate these ethnicities?

Well, Baba gives you a pretty explicit definition of masculinity here: honor and pride. But we also want to note – though honor and pride are generally good things – how nang and namoos affect Afghan women. Meaning, how do Baba's (and General Taheri's) ideas about their own identity affect their wives and daughters and daughter in-laws? Well, the idea here is that women need to be pure for men. A man's honor is tied up in the purity of his wife and daughter. Granted, feminists would have a field day with this one, but we also want to point out the irony (again!) of Baba's statement. Didn't he steal Ali's honor by sleeping with Sanaubar? Did that act destroy Baba's honor, too, and thus his masculinity? Are there any truly honorable men in this novel? Or are the honorable men only in the movies Amir and Baba used to watch?

It's easy to forget about Amir's own religious convictions. Though he's not particularly religious as a boy, and seems under the sway of his father's secularism, Amir does develop a Muslim faith in the book. This plot plays a more or less minor role, but it's present nonetheless. In this passage, Amir turns to Islam for the first time for comfort and reassurance after a suspicious spot shows up on Baba's CAT scan. Later, he will pray devotedly to Allah when Sohrab tries to commit suicide. By the end of the book, we learn that Amir knows his daily prayers by heart. So what kind of Islam does Amir practice? Is it the same as Assef's or is it something different altogether?

We included this quote to show you just how different the Baba of Fremont, California is from the Baba of Kabul, Afghanistan. We feel for Baba when his bladder fails him. This would be unimaginable for the bear-fighter from Afghanistan; the Baba from Kabul wouldn't tolerate his son's tears, much less any weakness displayed by himself. (Not that getting a fatal illness somehow suggests weakness in a person – but the Baba of Kabul, Afghanistan would see it that way.)