This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen

“For there exists in the camp a special brand of justice based on envy: when the rich and might fall, their friends see to it that they fall to the very bottom.” 

In the camp, certain jobs are more prestigious, more lucrative, or require less labor than others. The Canada crew, the detail that unloads the freight trains, is considered wealthier and more privileged (in camp terms) because they have access to the belongings of the new arrivals. When one of the details is reassigned to a more difficult crew, there is a sense of satisfaction in seeing them lose their privilege. When Tadek describes the camp, he does not omit the details that make the inmates look human, even when that humanity manifests in pettiness. 

“If they didn’t believe in God and eternal life, they’d have smashed the crematoria long ago.” 

Henri quotes Karl Marx, who said, “Religion is the opiate of the people,” and asserts that religion is what keeps the masses docile. He suggests that a firm belief in an afterlife makes it easier to accept death. Of course, in the case of the camp, this is a vast oversimplification because a large part of the hesitance to rise up is likely a strong will to survive. Tadek sees this and responds by asking Henri why he, who is not religious, has not led the revolution; Henri does not respond.