In the middle of the book, the theme that the bystander and the tormentor are equally guilty for the offense created is shown in a section about how Elie Wiesel himself had become a bystander. This happened when his father was slapped by an SS officer. Instead of helping, on page 39 Elie had become the people who he despised, and stood and watched his father. This quote shows the theme because it shows that Elie is acknowledging that he was a bystander with the question “What had happened to me?” Although the quote does not say that he is equally guilty, it can be inferred from the fact that Elie could have done something to help his father, whether that was defending his father before, or helping his father after. Instead, Wiesel became a