The Drowned and the Saved
- Some prisoners in the camp seem to be destined to survive, while others are resigned to dying. The prisoners call the latter "mussulman."
- On the other hand, those who can get "prominent" positions have it relatively easy. These positions include the cooks, camp officials, Kapos, and overseers of the toilets and baths.
- Survival in the concentration camp, Primo points out, is a constant struggle, and it's difficult not to completely sell out your own moral code in the process.
- Primo tells the stories of four of his fellow prisoners, all who've managed to survive so far in different ways.