The Invention of Hugo Cabret Part 1, Chapter 2 Summary

The Clocks

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  • Hugo goes back into the vent in the wall. That’s some serious movie spy stuff.
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  • Hugo crouches in front of the vents.
  • In the next image, we see his figure going through a narrow passageway filled with all sorts of pipes and whatnot. He’s obviously not in a part of the train station that’s open to the public.
  • A shoe! It's Hugo’s shoe, which is coming unlaced.
  • The next picture shows him making his way up a winding staircase. How does this kiddo know where to go, anyway?
  • We see his foot disappearing behind a corner. Wait for us, Hugo! This train station’s practically a maze.
  • Now we see Hugo’s back as he pushes through a door.
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  • Hugo pushes into the room, which leads to a bunch of apartments that the people who used to run the train station lived in. Only one is in use now—Hugo’s.
  • Hugo starts working, going through all the clocks in the building and making sure that they’re still running. He winds them all and oils them. And you thought going to school was hard.
  • He goes to the clock that overlooks the ticket booths and attaches a crank to its back.
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  • There’s little Hugo, winding the crank on the big clock. He's pretty strong for such a little guy.
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  • Hugo makes sure the clock is working correctly and looks out through the numbers, which are kind of like windows.
  • Then he goes through the passageway to the back of the clock opposite the old man’s toy booth.
  • Like a true spy, Hugo watches the old man flipping through the pages of his notebook.