Bread-slicers were of course bytoviki sentenced for domestic crimes, the authorities favoured them, civilian personnel and their families got more at the expense of prisoners' rations and certainly turned a blind eye to the fact that bread-slicers cut the corners lavishly sprinkling bread with water. A bread-slicer always had surpluses with which he could pay for the love of a hungry woman. Work-assignment clerks, foremen and taskmasters had an opportunity to use women intimidating them with a transfer, harder work or the lowest ration. There also were various chiefs - provocateurs and informants. They could come to the zone, had their own rooms and under the authorities' patronage.
Having an opportunity to buy women's love they could get syphilis in addition. That is why only one worker, a political prisoner who had contracted when still at large, was a patient at the sexually transmitted disease unit. The others were bytoviks.