Thumper's brothers and sisters also thought Thumper looked weak and they were very mean to him. They often pushed him away from the food when they all began to eat. "He is too weak." they would say, "He should not eat our food. We will be strong, but this bunny will not. We must save the good food for ourselves and let him eat what we leave over."

(Animals can be like that, but people are not, you know.)

And so they pushed Thumper away from the food when it was time to eat, and when the other bunnies finished their meals, Thumper was allowed to eat only what was left. And soon, Thumper was different from his brothers and sisters in yet another way. He grew to be much smaller than the rest.