Small Comforts
- Soon after Roscuro's delightful little chat with Botticelli, the king's men throw a new prisoner down into the dungeons. The rats are delighted, and Roscuro says that he'll join in on the torture.
- But then out of nowhere, the door behind the prisoner swings open and Roscuro gets a glimpse of the world upstairs. He gasps at all that light. The other rats hate the light, but Roscuro is transfixed.
- A soldier throws down a red cloth to the prisoner, telling him that he'll need every bit of warmth that he can find. Then he shuts the door and leaves the prisoner to Gregory.
- Roscuro tries to talk to the other rats about how beautiful the light was, but they all think he's crazy.
- Botticelli reminds him that he can't go upstairs because that's the domain of the mice, who are weak little things and totally despicable.
- Then Botticelli makes Roscuro repeat "I am a rat" so that he remembers his place, and why he shouldn't like the light so much. It's just not rat-like behavior.