This passage, taken from the last pages of “If this is a man” by Primo Levi, describes the last days in the concentration camp. To put it in context; the Germans, anxious to save themselves, left Levi and the others, too ill to travel, to fend for themselves. Levi focuses on the irony of their situation; after suffering the horrors of the camp, Levi and his fellow abandoned prisoners are finally free, but in reality they do not enjoy the benefits normally associated with freedom; they are actually, in many ways, worse off than before. In this excerpt, Levi highlights how, despite the freezing conditions, human relationships are thawing. “I have a ration of bread under the bag. Divide it between the three of you. I won't eat anymore. » These are the first words of this passage, they are important because they clearly show that this man has had countless horrible experiences and, as a result, he has lost the will to live. He accepted that death was near and therefore chose to give up his bread ration to help his fellow prisoners. The act of kindness of giving up one's bread shows that these men are still capable of being kind to each other, they still have their sense of decency. Which is rather in contrast to what these men saw throughout the book and their time in the camp. One might have expected that over the course of time spent enduring abuse, they would lose their ability to be kind. On the contrary, it is obvious that the rules of Lager, where everyone is for themselves, are no longer respected, they have chosen to remain respectable men, by offering to help each other and by not accepting the bread that was offered to them , shows that they still have the...... middle of paper...... to be part of the grayness. Charles removes his beret as a sign of respect; respect is another human trait that these men managed to transmit. Primo Levi regretted not having a beret to pay his respects, therefore he felt regret. Regret is also a human trait, which is to say that Levi has managed to remain a man. This passage is effective as the last passage of the book, because it shows that there is warmth in the relationships formed and that the rules of Lager are no longer respected. . It reflects how everything changed, their compassion for each other and the beginning of the return to being "normal" human beings. The passage also summarizes what these men went through and shows the transformation of some from man to machine, allowing the reader to truly feel the struggle these men went through to survive and ultimately remain a man..