After the initial shock of entering the concentration camps, prisoners soon grew accustomed to the horror and death that surrounded them, making their emotions numb. Their thoughts and feelings shifted towards survival, leaving behind considerations of love or desire. Instead, they focused on the simple, life-sustaining pleasures we often take for granted, like food.

In the second phase, prisoners’ emotions became dull shields that helped them endure the daily cruelties in the camps and seize any chance to improve their survival odds. For example, when a typhus outbreak claimed lives in one camp, prisoners in this phase no longer felt disgust or pity when they saw corpses. They saw an opportunity to acquire leftover food, shoes, or clothing from the deceased.

In the camps, prisoners couldn’t envision a future beyond the constant threat of guards. Their lives appeared devoid of meaning, and hope for the future was nonexistent. Unlike our usual anticipation for the future and big plans, prisoners couldn’t find excitement in what lay ahead. There was no defined end to their prison terms, and many felt their lives were already over. They existed in the camp, having given up on truly living, as there were no goals to strive for.