Maus Prologue

What is going on in that short Prologue? Why include that at the beginning of this book? 

A short prologue is included the beginning of Maus, which describes a scene where a younger Art is running with his friends, but falls. His friends don't wait up for him, even though he calls after them. Art runs to Vladek and tells him what happened, but Vladek only responds by saying, "Friends? Your friends? If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week... then you could see what it is, friends!" This scene clearly demonstrates the weak father/son relationship that Vladek and Art have. Art looked to his father for condolence and sympathy, but all he got was a little lesson on something Vladek learned in the Holocaust. This shows how deeply Vladek was affected by this horrible event and how it impacted how Vladek treats his son. This was included to introduce Vladek and Art, and how they act together, as well as to show how the Holocaust influenced the Spiegelman family.