In the book "Night", by Elie Wiesel, Wiesel is recounting his memory of the German version of the gulag as well as his experience later in Auschwitz's labor camp, the hardships he faced, and his loss of his family as well as his identity. At the end, we see that his experience changed how he thought and acted, and the event of his Dad's death haunted him throughout his life. (This is because he failed to save his dad.)