Alberto Character Analysis

Alberto is an Italian Jewish man and Levi’s best friend. Alberto arrives at Auschwitz in the same convoy as Levi and the pair spend as much time as they can together, working in the same Kommando, living in the same hut, and sharing all of the additional resources they are able to acquire equally between themselves. Alberto is cunning and knows which camp supervisors to befriend and which to avoid, making him well-suited to surviving in the camp. Although he does not play a particularly large role in the story, Alberto is often present and clearly provides a critical support to Levi throughout their shared year in Auschwitz. Alberto survives until the Germans evacuate Auschwitz, fleeing the Russian military’s approach. Since Levi is sick with scarlet fever, Alberto is forced to march without him, leaving him to fend for himself in the camp. This turns out to be fortuitous for Levi, however, since everyone, including Alberto, who marches out of the camp with the German guards “vanishes,” implying that they died on the journey.