Marjane’s classmates’ xenophobia is on full display in this passage as they condemn romantic relationships between Marjane and any Viennese boys. In this moment, Marjane comes to an important conclusion: that she is genuinely proud to be Iranian. If she ignores her identity, she’ll never find peace or happiness. In essence, it’s more important that Marjane figure out who she is and take pride in her authentic identity than it is to try to assimilate.