Mixing criminals into camps camouflages their true function from society

Evidence

The amalgamation of criminals with all other categories has moreover the advantage of making it shockingly evident to all other arrivals that they have landed on the lowest level of society. It soon turns out, to be sure, that they have every reason to envy the lowest thief and murderer; but meanwhile the lowest level is a good beginning. Moreover it is an effective means of camouflage: this happens only to criminals and nothing worse is happening than what deservedly happens to criminals. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 1006

Categorization

• XREF: The camouflage mechanism — the camp as hidden from public view via plausible deniability — echoes the propaganda-as-smokescreen theme central to totalitarian ideology studies.