Elie Wiesel reflects an inversion of Maslow’s Hierarchy throughout the first four chapters of Night. Elie lives a normal life at home with his family, at the esteem level, becoming imprisoned, and losing privileges to his essential needs, bringing him down to the physiological level. When Elie’s father has a colic attack, he politely asks for the restroom and is slapped to the floor, “Only yesterday, I would have dug my nails into this criminal’s flesh. Have I changed that much? So fast?” (Wiesel 39) Here Elie’s father is being disrespected for requesting his basic needs. Elie reflects on this moment by recognizing the change in his reactions because he is not being respected, demonstrating his place on the esteem level of the hierarchy. After
