Into That Darkness: An Examination of Conscience

What role did institutional and social factors play in Stangl’s moral corruption?

What did Stangl mean when he said he should have killed himself in 1938?

How did Stangl’s experience at Schloss Hartheim set the stage for his later corruptions in Sobibor and Treblinka?

Why wasn’t Stangl arrested for his crimes in Treblinka for more than 20 years after World War II ended, despite living and working under his own name the entire time? How does this fact play into our contemporary assumptions about World War II and its aftermath?

What role did Stangl’s childhood play in his later moral corruption, if any?

When did Stangl first develop his fatalistic attitude? Trace that attitude progression through his life and career, culminating in Treblinka. Is he the only one who displays this attitude? How does this lens affect Holocaust remembrance?

In what ways did Theresa and Stangl reinforce each other’s morality, and in what ways do they fall short? What does this say about complicity and individual responsibility in general?

Sereny believes a new concept of responsibility is needed to prosecute those involved in the Holocaust. Based on her assessment of Stangl’s guilt, what do you think this concept of responsibility would look like?