In Elie Wiesel’s book, Night, and Gerda Weissmann Klein’s book, All But My Life, the prisoners without courage rarely survive. Both Klein and Wiesel are very courageous, yet Wiesel’s courage seems predominantly spent on his father, whereas Klein’s courageous acts are not bound by family.

Wiesel’s thoughts are constantly warring between trying to help his father and feeling inadequate when he is unable to do enough. Despite the Blockälteste’s recommendation that Wiesel take his father’s bread and soup for himself, Wiesel instead continues to share his rations with his father even though it may cost Wiesel his life. Wiesel mentally agrees with the Blockälteste, rationalizing he could gain “two rations of bread, two rations of soup. . . . It was only a fraction of a second, but it left me feeling guilty” (Wiesel 111). Despite the risk and his growing hunger, Wiesel still shares his rations.

Despite being away from her family, Klein doesn’t save her bravery for herself; she helps the other girls. Once, when working in a camp in Grünberg, someone threw bread to an unnamed girl in Klein’s group. Klein admits, “I was frightened. I would rather have gone without food, or worked twenty-four hours straight through, than bear physical punishment” (Klein 174). Despite this fear, however, when asked by the SS guard who threw the bread Klein feigns ignorance. The guard strikes her and repeats the question; again Klein pretends not to know. In the face of hostility and abuse, Wiesel and Klein both demonstrate courage, but it is Klein who protects people beyond the bonds of family.