What do the nuns and priests do to Saul and the other children when they arrive at the school? chapter 11-14

The nuns and priests make Saul and others climb into tubs of scalding water. Priests throw delousing powder at them. They are scrubbed with hard bristle brushes.

It felt like they were trying to remove more than grime or order. It felt like they were trying to remove our skin. (44)