The Kite Runner-Part1

Khaled Hosseini hints in "The Kite Runner" that Amir, the protagonist, does not consider his best friend a friend. This is presented in his thoughts when his father Baba tells him many of his stories, "[b]ut in none of his stories did [he] ever refer to Ali as his friend." Hearing this, Amir realizes that "[he] never thought of Hassan and [himself] as friends."

As I read this, hypothetical questions started to arise in my mind. Can human beings really call another human a friend? A friend is someone you know you can trust and regard with affection. Can a person truly trust another though? Wouldn't that person only be deceiving themselves? No one ever admits or reveals their true persona so, that being said, aren't humans always being lied to at a subconscious level by another? Couldn't it be seen that people evolve by lying to themselves? With continuous lies a person will grasp those lies and be shaped differently. Just because this conscious outer layer is seen as a persons self doesn't mean that that's what their all about. For example, what if someone lied to someone to obtain a "friendship" with another. Wouldn't that person have to maintain that lie until the very end or until their friendship is terminated? But then the question appears, was that really a friend? Even if it was only an affection or a connection from a lie? Amir discovers that even though he does everything with Hassan and has a connection with him, its only, to say, at a subconscious level. For when he heard his fathers story, his subconscious thoughts awakened and made him realize the harsh truth. So can a human being truly call another a friend?