Part 2, Chapter 17: Strategies of Survival—Summary

Surrounded by hardship, prisoners struggled to survive, developing various tactics to assist them in this effort. Some prisoners found ways of raising themselves above other prisoners and live without caring for them. Camp guards would reward prisoners for working hard and meeting norms.

Tufta, which translates as "swindling the boss," was one strategy that prisoners employed. Prisoners found ways of making it seem like they were working and meeting norms, even while not doing so. "They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work." (p. 350). Controversy has erupted in recent years over how hard prisoners actually worked and how much effort they put into trying to avoid it. Some prisoners did perform the work expected, but the memoirists also make clear that many tried to evade work, mainly for survival. With insufficient clothing...