De-humanization in Maus

In my studies of the Holocaust, class discussion often centered on the Nazi tactics for eradicating the Jewish population. Nazi dehumanization of Jews occurred in order that the rest of the world would view Jews as nothing more than swine or a plague. Never did it occur to me that the Nazis themselves should be de-humanized because they lacked altruistic traits. It is an interesting concept to make all the humans, animals. I have only encountered this type of storytelling before in Animal Farm. In both cases the writing soften the blows of violence that occur throughout the novel. In a way the portrayal of humans as animals can make the story more bearable.