The Friend: In times of racial conflict only the strong in character keep their friendships intact

The story is set against the backdrop of the 25 year conflict in Sri Lanka between the Tamil terrorist organisation called the Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eelam - LTTE, commonly referred to as "The Tigers" and the armed services of the Government of Sri Lanka.
The conflict, in addition to inflicting much hardship and loss of property and life to many residents of the country, also contributed to straining relationships between people of the 2 ethnic origins. Where, once upon a time friendships between Sinhalese and Tamils were commonplace, the war between the 2 factions called into question the wisdom of continuing such friendships.
Only the strong in character kept their friendships intact.