The Pol Pot regime aimed to create Cambodia a "classless pure Agrarian society" in Loung Ung's memoir, First they Killed My Father. Their objective failed completely. The war created inequality, denied freedom and self-worth. The ability to survive each day became such a struggle that some had to steel, kill, and turn in families and individuals suspected of being corrupt. Even in such situations, some exercise everything in their capacity to help others. These times of constant conflicts brings out the most admirable and disrespectful qualities in human behavior.

The `Base' people receive little or no food at times and struggle to physically survive. Kim, Ma's "little monkey", was initially introduced as small, agile and quick on his feet in Phnom Phen. He carries the weight of...