At the end of chapter 5, Elie recalls that the head of his block ordered that the barracks be cleaned before they leave to go on their Death March to Buchenwald by way of Gleiwitz. Although Elie himself does not give clear explanation as to why this order was given, thinking through the stages of genocide can be helpful when considering this question.
According to the stages of genocide, the last stage is unfailingly denial by the oppressors of the atrocities that took place during the previous stage: extermination. Although this stage manifested in several ways throughout the Holocaust and its aftermath, including the destruction of gas chambers and crematories at many concentration camps, the order to clean the barracks is a small-scale example of the same phase. With the barracks clean, the Russians would not be able to see clear evidence of the level of mistreatment that the prisoners endured at Auschwitz.
The head of Elie's block insists that the barracks must be cleaned in anticipation of the Russians' imminent arrival. His order doesn't seem to make much sense; why on earth should the barracks be cleaned one hour before leaving the camp? What's the point? The block leader says that it's to make a good impression for the Russians when they arrive. He wants the barracks cleaned to show the Russians that men lived there and not pigs. The inmates of the camp have been systematically stripped of their dignity as human beings by the Nazis. By cleaning the barracks from top to bottom they are reasserting their humanity, reminding themselves and the approaching Russians that after all their horrific experiences, they are still men.
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