Breaking Stalin's Nose Visions of the Soviet Union Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph), (Chapter.Figure)

Quote #10

What I see when I round the corner, I don't expect. It's a line of people who must be waiting to see prisoners. The line runs along the building and across the street and down the next street and up the next one, and by the time I reach the end, I pass thousands of people waiting. (30.8)

The illustration that goes along with this passage really hits you in the gut. It stretches over the course of several pages, and shows a seemingly unending line of people waiting to get into Lubyanka prison, presumably to see their loved ones (30.F2-5). You get a real sense for just how many people were imprisoned under Stalin's system, and how this affected so many people.