during the holocaust, the nazis built concentration camps and then extermination camps to imprison their victims. these "camps" were not just prisons. their goal was not just to keep people locked up. their goal was to torture and destroy people. all parts of camp life came along with humiliation and harassment. forced labour was a part of this. prisoners were whipped and treated like animals. some forced labor was meant to help the german war machine grow. however, other prisoners were forced to do pointless heavy labor just to wear them down. there were "no limits to working hours," according to official nazi policy.