Chapter 17. What do the staff members say all the time that Ishmael hates? How does his attitude toward this phrase begin to change? Explain.

The compound nurse begins to show a special interest in Beah, leading Alhaji to tease him that she “likes” him. Beah ponders her motives but cannot comprehend them. He becomes angry when she asks him his name (because he knows she knows it), but when he tells her his name she tells him her own: Esther. She expresses a desire to be his friend, but only if she can trust him. She keeps repeating that, “none of these things are your fault.” Ishmael begins to respond to this positive treatment. Beah eventually opens up to Esther and recounts his experience being ambushed by rebels in the forest.