3. What is the symbolic significance of the mentally disabled man who is pepper-sprayed at Camp Greyhound?

This anecdote serves a clear purpose to educate readers about authoritative brutality after Hurricane Katrina. However, it is also an instance of cruelty to someone who has been dehumanized--in this case, by the guard's behavior as well as his own; the young man constantly yells out admonitions and seems unaware of his surroundings. There is a parallel here to Zeitoun's disgust at the way dogs are left to starve after the disaster, and also his own loss of dignity at the hands of his captors. The abuse of power is evident in the guards' treatment of someone who is defenseless and likely innocent of the crime he is accused of.