Final answer:
In Elie Wiesel's 'Night', Elie was warned to stay away from the SS guards (option a), who played a key role in the Holocaust, operating the concentration camps and enforcing the policies that led to the mass extermination of Jews and other groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie was warned to stay away from the SS guards. The SS (Schutzstaffel) were the architects of much of the terror during the Holocaust and operated the concentration camps. Their role in the genocide was instrumental, as they were responsible for the mass shootings, deportations, and the implementation of the Final Solution, which included the operation of gas chambers.
The book details the inhumane conditions in the concentration camps where prisoners were grossly mistreated. Elie and the other inmates found themselves in dire situations, where they were dehumanized and faced constant threats to their survival by the SS guards. With the creation of groups like the Einsatzgruppen, the SS took on a more direct role in the extermination of Jews and other groups deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime. Understanding the historical context of the SS's role in Nazi Germany is crucial. The SS was a prominent force within the Nazi state, starting as Hitler's personal bodyguards and growing to command all other policing agencies. They wielded almost unlimited power and were a key component in enforcing Nazi policies and carrying out mass murder, thus making them a group to avoid at all costs in the concentration camps.