WARNING: Spoilers Off on moment subpages. Read at your own risk.
- Upon hearing from his dad that Small One can no longer stay on the farm due to being too old, both the boy and Small one become devastated by the sad news, with the boy unsuccessfully pleading to his dad to not sell him. Reluctantly, understanding his dad's reasons to sell him, he volunteers to be the one to sell him the following day, but it's pretty clear he wants to spend one final day with him.
- In the original book is worse in that aspect, as the boy's father forces him to sell Small One specifically to the tanner, and then scolds the boy for crying about it.
- One of the reasons why the boy doesn't give in is that the few animals that are still alive in the shop are clearly miserable.
- The scene after the auction, where the boy drops a tear after his attempt to sell the donkey at the auction resulted in a complete failure.
- Realizing that no one else in the town will buy him, Small One leads the boy back through the town, back towards the tanner's shop, fully prepared to give up his own life.
- Even after witnessing that nobody else in the town wants Small One, the boy still refuses to sell him to the tanner even if that means never returning home. Unsure of what to do, both of them sat on a nearby street in despair.
- The ending, where despite Small One being sold to Joseph, who promises take good care of the donkey on his final days, the boy and Small One are separated for good, with the boy waving his hand to them one final time before returning home.
