arties therpapist pavel says you think its admirable to survive . does that mean its not admirable to not survive

That's a double edged sword......... surviving is of course admirable, specifically if you look at surviving the mental anguish. Physical survival had everything to do with physical strength and even and being in the right place at the right time. There were people who died giving up their lives in order to save the life of another........ what could be more admirable than that?

From the text:

"Pavel tells Art that survival in the Holocaust wasn't based on skill or resources. Ultimately, it was random, based purely on luck."