Mkrtich Armen's story reveals an unexpected manifestation of male beauty in the camp bathhouse, where a brigade of prisoners discovers the beloved Ivan Greben with his naked, perfectly beautiful lover. Deprived of all pleasure, the prisoners freeze and silently comply with the woman's request to turn away, momentarily showing their inner dignity and profound respect for genuine beauty. As they leave, the woman whispers to Greben that all the men were "so beautiful," revealing that she saw past their outward degradation to the beauty of their collective soul.