Mkrtich Armen's "Political Education" reveals the unusual bond formed by prisoner Hakobyan with his captors when he is assigned the crucial job of tending the nightly security bonfire. Hakobyan connects with the Commandant over discussions of dialectical materialism and with the Guard by trading stolen potatoes for security and the Guard's loaded rifle. In the end, Hakobyan proves his trustworthiness; the Commandant shows mercy by covering for the sleeping Guard and returns to the prisoner to continue his philosophical lessons.