Describe symbolism in The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

In Chapter Eleven, the author tells Michael that Hanna was a particularly brutal woman, and she also refuses to accept Hanna's money, seeing it as an attempt to purchase absolution. Instead, she tells Michael to dispose of the money while she keeps the tin, noting that such a tin had many uses in Auschwitz. Her symbolic and gracious gesture alleviates some of Michael's suffering without unduly compromising her own position.