- Jason's stuck in his room, trying to wade through his dad's books and doing a lot of thinking.
- A couple of days later someone paints graffiti on the side of the water tower tank: "Don't be a wuss" (26.13). This is one of the Choots' commandments.
- The vandalism comes up at the TPO meeting. Again Magda won't meet Jason's eyes during the meeting. Afterward he tries to find out whether she's become a protestant Choot, but she says she doesn't know what he's talking about and doesn't care. She's not allowed to have him visit or call.