Chapter 5: Here There Is No Why Summary

Odilo traveled across the countryside on a motorcycle, which he found in a ditch. He finally arrived at Birkenau, Auschwitz Central. He could speak German almost at once. The place was dirty, with human feces everywhere. The camp staff seemed nervous, no one spoke for the first couple weeks at the officer's hall. Then the camp started filling up. Odilo's German was surprisingly accurate. Soon, his colleagues became more talkative and there was an ever-present sweet smell in the air.

Then a man arrived to change the world "for the better." The narrator was in awe of him. He was a doctor known as "Uncle Pepi." He created "sprinklerooms" from burning debris in mere seconds as if by magic. Everyone was excited to do their jobs. The narrator felt that the group had...