Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl

MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANINGso-called "premium coupons." These were issued bythe construction firm to which we were practicallysold as slaves: the firm paid the camp authorities afixed price per day, per prisoner. The coupons cost thefirm fifty pfennigs each and could be exchanged for sixcigarettes, often weeks later, although they sometimeslost their validity. I became the proud owner of a tokenworth twelve cigarettes. But more important, the cigarettescould be exchanged for twelve soups, andtwelve soups were often a very real respite fromstarvation.The privilege of actually smoking cigarettes wasreserved for the Capo, who had his assured quota ofweekly coupons; or possibly for a prisoner whoworked as a foreman in a warehouse or workshop andreceived a few cigarettes in exchange for doing dangerousjobs. The only exceptions to this were those whohad lost the will to live and wanted to "enjoy" theirlast days. Thus, when we saw a comrade smoking hisown cigarettes, we knew he had given up faith in hisstrength to carry on, and, once lost, the will to liveseldom returned.When one examines the vast amount of materialwhich has been amassed as the result of many prisoners'observations and experiences, three phases ofthe inmate's mental reactions to camp life becomeapparent: the period following his admission; the periodwhen he is well entrenched in camp routine; andthe period following his release and liberation.The symptom that characterizes the first phase isshock. Under certain conditions shock may even precedethe prisoner's formal admission to the camp. I26