The Kite Runner focuses on the relationship between two Afghan boys, Amir and Hassan. Amir is a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara and Shia. Despite their ethnic and religious differences, Amir and Hassan become friends, although Amir is troubled by Hassan and his relationship with his partner, a year younger than him, is complex. Amir and Hassan seem to have a "best friend" type relationship. The two boys, Hassan and Amir, are the main characters of the book entitled The Kite Runner. The two boys have a significantly different relationship than most boys. There are many different facets that distinguish the relationship that kids have. The boys write their names on a pomegranate tree like the "sultans of Kabul" (Kite Runner 27) but their friendship is not strong and is one-sided. Hassan loves Amir. She loves him like a brother. Hassan is extremely loyal to Amir. The relationship between the two boys is emotionally taxing and for the most part rather dark. The main reason for their complicated relationship is the fact that Amir is Pashtun and Hassan is Hazara. Afghan society ranks Hassan below Amir. Hassan is Amir's servant. Hassan's place in Afghan society prevents Amir from becoming Hassan's true friend. Amir sees Hassan as less than a human being. Amir ruins the possibility of friendship between him and Hassan because he is jealous of Hassan, thinks of Hassan as an inferior human being, and because Amir possesses such extreme guilt over what he did to Hassan. Amir is an unforgivable person overall. The other source of tension in Amir's life is his relationship with Baba, his enterprising and demanding father. Desperate to win his father's affection and respect, Amir takes up the sport of kite flying and at the age of 12, with the help of Hassan, wins the annual Kabul tournament. Amir's victory is soon overshadowed when he witnesses a ferocious assault on his friend, who has been racing through the streets of Kabul to retrieve the last kite Amir had cut from the sky, and fails to come to his aid. Amir's cowardice is compounded by a subsequent act of betrayal that forces Ali and Hassan to leave their home, and now he faces the nightmare, carrying the burden of his poor choices for the rest of his life. Amir is clearly an emotionally unstable person, but his resentment towards Hassan has increased due to his disturbing sense of guilt.