Some of them—so many of them—could be saved.

And so, once again, I think of the young Jewish boy from the Carpathian Mountains. He has accompanied the old man I have become throughout these years of quest and struggle. And together we walk towards the new millennium, carried by profound fear and extraordinary hope. (122-125)

Throughout "The Perils of Indifference," Elie Wiesel highlights the many atrocities of the 20th century, but when he ends his speech the same way he starts it—by reminding the audience of his own horrible experiences—his intent is to pass the torch.

Wiesel spent much of his adult life speaking out against genocide and war, and the last lines of his speech are a classic call to action. In other words, the fate of the next century is on us. We have to remember all the things that happened, and we have to choose not to be indifferent to them—and despite everything, Wiesel believes we can do it.