!!The Novel
* IronWoobie: A vast majority of the cast. UsefulNotes/WorldWarII does that to people. Though a notable example is Death, who has the most miserable job on Earth and ''still'' cares about humans.
-->You see?
-->[[DontFearTheReaper Even death has a heart.]]
* ToyShip: Rudy/Liesel before [[SheIsAllGrownUp they grow into teenagers]].

!!The Film
* QuestionableCasting: Some fans of the original novel weren't happy with the casting of Creator/GeoffreyRush as Hans Hubermann because they pictured the character younger and handsomer.
* {{Squick}}: Max vomiting into the soup that Rosa fed him.
----