But more important, the cigarettes could be exchanged for twelve soups, and twelve soups were often a very real respite from starvation.
The privilege of actually smoking cigarettes was reserved for the Capo, who had his assured quota of weekly coupons;
or possibly for a prisoner who worked as a foreman in a warehouse or workshop
and received a few cigarettes in exchange for doing dangerous jobs.
The only exceptions to this were those who had lost the will to live and wanted to “enjoy” their last days.
Thus, when we saw a comrade smoking his own cigarettes, we knew he had given up faith in his strength to carry on,
and, once lost, the will to live seldom returned.
When one examines the vast amount of material which has been amassed as the result of many prisoners’ observations and experiences,
three phases of the inmate’s mental reactions to camp life become apparent: the period following his admission;
the period when he is well entrenched in camp routine; and the period following his release and liberation.
The symptom that characterizes the first phase is shock.
Under certain conditions shock may even precede the prisoner’s formal admission to the camp.
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