Stein is Eliezer’s cousin by marriage. He doesn’t want much – just something about his family. Eliezer needs to lie to him that his wife (Reizel) and children are fine. Why? It helped Stein to find the strength to live. Later we don’t know for sure what happened to him, but we can sum up that he got the real information about his family and died. He is one of few who preserves his humanity in the concentration camp; rather than being into self-preservation mode, he constantly thinks of family, gives away his food to Eliezer, and provides Eliezer and his father with advice on staying alive. However, because he has not hardened himself against his emotions, he can’t live without his family.
Stein in the Essays
Author: Wilma Daniels