On the day of the second selection, other prisoners were trying to comfort Wiesel because his father was part of the second selection.
During the first selection day, Wiesel and his father both thought they had cleared the selection. Wiesel's friends say that he ran so fast they couldn't even read his number. His father also thought he was in the clear until the next morning when he was told to stay behind in the camp for the second selection. Elie Wiesel was required to go to work, but everyone felt sorry for him, including the Kapo who assigned him an easier job. They all thought that Wiesel's last time seeing his father was that morning before they left.