The word night is a key word in this section of the book. What does the word mean early in the first chapter?

In Chapter One, as well as the rest of the novel, Eliezer uses the word night repreatedly. Night serves as both a symbol and a metaphor. Metaphorically it represents the Holocaust.... a time during which the Jews will be subjected to a world of darkness.... a world without hope. Symbolically, the word night is used to described the evil and destruction brought by the Nazis, as well as the desperateness and fear of the Jewish people.