In the labor camp, survival is the prisoner's most immediate concern.
Some prisoners manage better than others do.
Ivan Denisovich is a prisoner who has survived the camps for more than eight years. He has endured because he heeds the advice of his first squad leader, Kuziomin, who tells his men that those who do not make it are ones who lick other's plates, depend on doctors, and squeal on fellow prisoners. Ivan Denisovich is a consummate survivor because he has a positive attitude, practical skills, and a strong sense of moral and ethical integrity. Kolya Vdovushkin is an example of a prisoner given a favorable job without much work or struggles. He does not have to deal with the survival concerns of cold, hunger, and labor that Ivan Denisovich goes through on a daily basis.