Complex sentence: Ngors friends were also skeptical because his and many Cambodian refugee survival instincts were what kept them alive when facing the Khmer Rouge regime; it was common to give up prized possessions in order to survive, even if he had to give up that golden locket.
Split into simpler sentences: Ngors friends were also skeptical because his and many Cambodian refugee survival instincts were what kept them alive when facing the Khmer Rouge regime. It was common to give up prized possessions in order to survive, even if he had to give up that golden locket.