An ironic view of paradise where the smallest scrap of humanity is interpreted as a gift.
Explanation:
The answer here is that is an ironic view. The prisoners are not living in paradise. They are living in hell. They only have the bare minimum of basic needs that one needs in order to survive. In most cases, this bare minimum still isn't enough. However, the prisoners that have been in the camp for a longer period of time remember when the conditions at the camp were even worse. To them, they see the current conditions as "paradise" since they are significantly better than before. Unfortunately, the "paradise" they talk about is still hell.
The purpose of a society's oral tradition is to teach lessons about important cultural values. Through stories you tell children how they should behave, and also tell them about their ancestors, etc.
