Night Lesson Plan

What is the significance of Wiesel's reminiscence of his encounter with the kind French woman from Buna on the Paris métro years after the war? What does this digression add to the story? 

The bit of hope the woman gave him in a vulnerable moment was significant and memorable for Elie. As he learns from speaking with her later, both of them were simply doing their best to survive the camps. The personal risk the woman assumed in extending a small kindness to Elie serves to counterbalance the random cruelty of Idek's assault on Elie. 

How does Wiesel describe the extreme hunger he experienced in the camps? What were the psychological impacts of his...