
Ali does this, and his actions are probably very surprising to the American viewer who has little or no understanding of the Iranian way of life.

He decides instead to keep the entire ordeal a secret between him and his sister, spending a great deal of time trying to figure out how he can replace Zahra's shoes. Despite the fact that he was just fulfilling his responsibilities and trying to buy groceries, he knows that telling his parents the truth would only hurt him. When Zahra's shoes are initially lost, Ali does not go and tell his parents.

According to, The solution is to use both love and limits. Once this relationship is built, it is possible to discipline the child while showing love, and this approach would work best for the step-parent because it would built a good relationship between the parent and step- child. The first step, however, is to build a relationship of trust to prevent the “Your not my parent, you can't tell me what to do response. According, it is important to strike a balance as a step parent between disciplining and loving him or her. During all of this, one would expect him to just blow up and beg for the shoes, saying that he does not want the trophy and that getting the shoes was his only goal in the first place.

Ironically, Ali comes in first place instead of third, and he is extremely disappointed despite the praise, the trophie, and the honors he was receiving. He got into the race and proved himself a worthy runner, inspired by his ability to win the sneakers.
