What universal truths does Ishmael teach us about surviving loss and hunger, and overcoming isolation?

Ishmael was a happy child. He had a sense of humour. He liked dancing to old rap from the early 1990's and, like any child, wanted to be happy. So, how did he survive the horrors of being a child soldier? I think his grit and determination to survive helped. His easy going personality helped him adapt to even the most hellish situations. Ishmael kept lessons of his parents and grandmother in his heart. This keeps him grounded even when his mind was lost in a haze of cocaine and violence. Ishmael adapts and survives. I think it is really that simple.