Vladek's first stories about wealth center around the family during good times. Even after the war had begun, he explains that the family was still well off. Though he had spent several months in a prisoner of war camp, he returns home to find everything just as it was when he joined the armey and left his family. He mentions that the Germans could not destroy everything at one time. In the interview with his son, transcribed on The Complete MAUS, Vladek states that though nobody paid attention the Nazi's had begun to systematically eliminate the Jews from society.

Once arriving in the camps, the prisoners found their concept of wealth and poverty greatly changed. This was a result of the absolute lack of ability to obtain items that were previously taken for gratned. Vladek explains this phenomenon in the first chapter of Volume II. He is telling the story of his arrival at Auschwitz, and explains that clothes and shoes were simply thrown at them. It didn't matter whether they were the right sizes, this was all the prisoners were able to get. As a result, the value of belts and access to other such items increased greatly. Individuals would be willing to pay for these items which would help to ease the life of the camp for those in need. Testimony to this effect can be read on the Alphabet of Auschwitz, Clothing and Nakedness page. On this page, Olga Lengyel relates a story very similar to one that Vladek tells in the Mauschwitz chapter.

Vladek explains how life was made easier by simply having clothes that fit as he tells the story of his friend Mandelbaum. Mandelbaum was a very wealthy man before he was brought to Auschwitz. Like the others, he was robbed of his possesions upon entering the camp and given clothes and shoes which did not fit. In fact, his situation was so bad that he had two shoes of different sizes, one of which he had to carry in his hand because his foot would not fit in it. His pants were too large for him, so he had to hold them up with his other hand. Mandelbaum lost his spoon, another item that was issued to the prisoners, becuase of his clothing situation. Vladek was able to use his connections to help Mandelbaum, but eventually, the two were separated, and Vladek knows only that Mandelbaum did not survive. He ends his story with several possibilities for how exactly Mandelbaum met his end, but repeats that he is not sure. INSERT PICTURE OF MANDELBAUM HERE, PAGE 29

Food was also a great commodity. To be willing and able to save some of your rations was one of the keys to survival in Auschwitz. Vladek explains that he was able to exploit his work detail fairly often. First as a translator, he was given special treatment by the Kapo (the Polish prisoner assigned to guard each group of Jews) who had access to extra food and clothing. Later, he would use his job as a shoemaker to win favor with Anja's (his wife) Kapo as well, and ensure that she would be treated well in the future. Being willing an able to exploit whatever position he was given in the camp's work system was important to Vladek's survival. Vladek saved enough food to be able to buy Anja's release from Birkenau, the death camp at Auschwitz where the first women's camp was located. Anja was brought to a new camp for women that was built at Auschwitz because of Vladek's ability to save his food rations. Information on the rations is available on the Nutrition page of the Alphabet of Auschwitz. Also explained on that page, through testimony of survivors, is the way in which food became a currency for the prisoners. Their ability to survive the conditions of the camps was not only dependent on eating enough food, but also on being able to make deals with the food that they did not eat. Vladek's desire to save was present before he was taken to the camps, and helped him to survive once he got there.