Isa's comment on Sharon's reaction

Sharon,
I completely agree on the difficulty regarding Amir's judgment. It would be very easy to simply label him as a selfish monster who had the ability to protect Hassan and chose not to. I your right in saying that while Amir "punishes" Hassan with cruelty and distance, he is also enduring his own punishment. That being said, his suffering is at his own hands. But his inability to speak could be stemmed from fear and an emotional insecurity that even he cannot understand.
I also thought that Assef's presence was completely disgusting. He really is a despicable boy, even more so to mention Hassan's name so casually. By refusing his invitation, Amir is , in a way, standing up to Baba and the impossible standards to which he holds his son. The fact that this emotional growth happens at such a tragic time is really quite saddening.