Chapter Nine: Why did the man with the fishing hut help the boys after the villagers stole their shoes and their feet burned?

Beah notes that the fisherman was ready to leave his hut to avoid them until he saw their wounds. The fisherman was moved to compassion for the boys and helped them to recover. He asked nothing in return, only asking that they do not learn his name. The boys returned his kindness in the only way available - by not identifying him as an accomplice to their recuperation.