What events lead to the two hangings Wisel describes? How does Wisel feel about his evening meal after each hanging? what do his reaction suggest about how he is changing?

If you read a few pages before, Wiesel once stated that he found "the soup excellent one evening" after witnessing some hangings of adult prisoners. You see, he did not care that they were hung. They were adults. They committed a crime and thus had to be punished. Because they were adults, they presumbly lived their lives. Now let's look at the pipel...

Keep in mind that the pipel was a young boy. It's a heinous sight as it is to see a young child killed before a person's eyes. When Wiesel saw him die, he felt bad and sorrowful. How can a child commit a crime and be punished severely? Here is a quote that may explain why Wiesel wrote that statement:

"To hang a young boy in front of thousands of spectators was no light matter. The head of the camp read the verdict. All eyes were on the child. He was lividly pale, almost calm, biting his lips. The gallows threw its shadow over him".

So you see, Wiesel felt horribly bad that a child died for something he did not understand and perhaps did not commit. The soup, which once tasted excellent, now "tasted of corpses" because Wiesel's mind was filled with guilt and remorse.