What does the quote from the book "Night" by Elie Wiesel mean?

What does this quote mean (from Night by Elie Wiesel)?

• Whats the meaning/significance of this to the reader? “In a few seconds, we had ceased to be men. Had the situation not been so tragic, we might have laughed. We looked pretty strange! Meir Katz, a colossus, wore a child’s pants, and Stern, a skinny little fellow, was floundering in a huge jacket. We immediately started to switch. I glanced over at my father. How changed he looked! His eyes were veiled. I wanted to tell him something, but I didn’t know what. The night had passed completely. The morning star shone in the sky. I too had become a different person. The student of Talmud, the child I was, had been consumed by the flames. All that was left was a shape that resembled me. My soul had been invaded – and devoured – by a black flame.”

• Answer:

  They were no longer respected individuals. They became these prisoners who were treated like dirty, filthy rats. The crematorium didn't just burn corpses- they burned Wiesel's faith, dignity, and humanity.