Dead bodies are thrown from the train, lacking a proper burial. Some prisoners try to throw Eliezer's father off, but he convinces them that his father is still alive. No rations were provided; the only food available to the prisoners was snow. After several days, a German worker throws a single piece of bread onto the prisoner's compartment of the train, and needless to say, the prisoners fought, and even killed one another over it.
The prisoners arrived in Buchenwald. Elie feels that he has abandoned his father, but also feels like he wishes he could be rid of him. He is ashamed that he has such thoughts. Elie's father suffers from an illness and is close to death. A doctor sees him, but tells Elie that it is hopeless. Neighbors beat his father and take his food, and the head of the block tells Elie to watch out for himself and let his father go. Elie's father is killed by these scavengers, and Elie is ashamed that he does not cry.
Elie is emotionally numb, and he stays in Buchenwald for quite awhile longer. Nothing could bother him after his father's death, because nothing seemed as severe. Americans come and free Buchenwald, and all of the prisoners immediately go for food. Elie suffers from food poisoning and stays in the hospital between life and death. He looks into a mirror, and it is the first time since the ghetto that he has seen himself. "From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me. The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine, has never left me."
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