It is likely that Gertrud inspires deep resentment among the prisoners at Ravensbrück who aren’t Kapos and have none of these privileges. The Kapo system is a way to contain costs by exploiting prisoners for free labor, but it serves a more insidious function as well. As the Nazi who oversaw Auschwitz, SS Obersturmbannführer Rudolf Höss, put it: The more there are rivalries, the more battles between the prisoners, the easier it is to control the camp. Divide and rule—that is the principle not only of high politics but also in a concentration camp.
