- Now that Octavian knows he's a slave, he can't help but see slavery everywhere he goes.
- He also notes how there are different classes of slaves—both white and black—like bonded, freed, indentured, etc.
- So what makes Octavian so different?
- He's not sure, but he does know one thing: the answer is behind that door with the crossed bones over his face.
- One night, while the scholars are throwing a party, Octavian sneaks into the room, and inside he finds: lots of bound notebooks—all about him and his mother; a chart of detailing all the differences between animals and humans; and a nude picture of his mother titled "Pubescent Female of the Oyo Country In Africa."
- Freaky, right?
- Octavian especially can't get over the picture of his mother naked, even though he hears Mr. G. looking for him.
- Mr. G. finds him in the study.
- Uh-oh.
- Only Mr. G. isn't super-mean to Octavian, and instead they have a rational discussion about what Octavian finds.
- Mr. G. confirms all of Octavian's suspicions and basically lets Octavian know how important and special Octavian is.
- Octavian ends up wanting to do good by Mr. G.
- His big aspiration? To become a number, a mere observer, just like Mr. G. and the other scholars.
- But there's still a punishment: Mr. G. has Octavian hold a huge book (Milton and Shakespeare—ouch) in each hand, and he's not allowed to put the books down even though his hands might get tired.
- Apparently, Mr. G. had the same punishment when he was a kid and the feeling after the punishment is "sublime"—like arms floating up, weightless.