What is the consequence for frankenstein when he values knowledge over morals?

Which best describes the tone in these lines "the fish"

Precarious subsistence voracious abysmal wood is to fire as food is to arrowright grinning is to cheerful as teetering is to arrowright conniving is to scheming as terrible is to arrowright mournful is to sad as gluttonous is to arrowright

Throughout the memoir, the prisoners are made equal in the way they are treated, and again, eliezer sees their equality in another way. how does he describe the equality?