On this page, Spiegelman starts off with a general picture on the prisoners. All of the faces are not detailed enough and so the reader cannot recognize specific characters. This generalization blurs the identity of each individual. The only identity of the characters in this panel is between prisoner and the officers. In the next panel, the details of the characters are slightly clearer; the reader can now define the races of the prisoners. This is than contradicted immediately in the same panel when a mouse says that he is German. That mouse's identity as a German is self-given and the officers don't believe him. Spiegelman enhances this difference between self identity and the identity given by others in panels 3 and 4. In panel 3, the protesting character is drawn as a mouse who is claims he is German despite his appearance. Following this panel, the same picture is drawn except the same character is drawn as a cat. At this moment, Vladek comments on the character's identity by stating that no one knew exactly who he was. However, in panel 4, the cat is shaded unlike the mouse picture; this difference points to the uselessness of being a "German" when no one believes you. Identity is only confirmed by the agreement of others. The panels 3 and 4 are drawn on a black background because the true situation is not known. The character could have been German or Jewish depending on another person's point of view. The mouse's supposed "identity" as a German did not save his life because he died in the end.
