Thirteen years old and already functioning as the family's de facto adult. Josef's psychological burden is the inversion of the parent-child relationship — he manages, protects, and makes decisions that his traumatized father cannot. His defining trait is moral seriousness: he doesn't seek adventure or glory; he seeks to do the right thing in a situation where right and wrong are constantly being redefined by people with power over his life. His final choice is the novel's most historically weighted act.