In Night by Elie Wiesel, after arriving at Buna, Elie and his father were sent to a warehouse to work. Their kapo, Idek, wass known for having frenetical fits, and nobody was safe when he was in the midst of one. For no reason anyone could discern, one day while Elie was working, Idek chose him and unleashed his fury, beating Elie until he could hardly move. A French girl, who worked at the warehouse as well, comforted Elie. He thought she was Jewish, but she wasn't a prisoner. He found out years later that she was indeed Jewish, but had passed for Aryan.
This encounter increased Elie's faith in humanity. This girl risked her life to speak to him in German--to give him a few words of comfort. If the wrong person had heard, she would have been reported and sent to a concentration camp. Elie realized what she was risking for him, and that is what renewed his faith and helped him to keep going. The French girl said to him,
"Bite your lip, little brother....Don't cry. Keep your anger and hatred for another day, for later on. The day will come, but not now....Wait. Grit your teeth and wait..." (Wiesel 51).
Elie never forgot those words.
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