Slaughterhouse-Five Chapter 5, Section 53 Summary

  • Billy is confused and starts wondering where he should go next.
  • He hears someone crying and goes toward the sound. He's approaching one of the camp toilets.
  • On the latrine wall he sees a beautifully painted sign: "Please Leave This Latrine As Tidy As You Found It" (5.53.5).
  • The crying is coming from inside the latrine. All of the American soldiers have diarrhea thanks to the rich food the English officers gave them at the feast.
  • One of the crying Americans is the author of this very book.
  • Billy staggers away from the latrine and toward the prison hospital.
  • He goes through the hospital door and back into his honeymoon.
  • Valencia says she has missed him.