For Every Exit, an Entrance
- They all make it back to Mr. Benedict's house, and a few days later we find out what happened.
- Mr. Curtain escaped the island, "along with several Recruiters and a few of his most trusted Executives" (39.2). That's the bad news.
- The good news is that (a) the Whisperer is no longer broadcasting, and (b) people have started listening to Mr. Benedict again.
- There are a ton of agents searching for Mr. Curtain, but Mr. Benedict doesn't think they stand much of a chance at catching him. "Mr. Curtain, he said, was too smart to be outfoxed by adults. Only children could have accomplished it" (39.3).
- At this point Mr. B is focused on figuring out how to restore the memories of all the Helpers and the others, like Mr. Bloomburg, who were brainswept by the Whisperer, and he thinks he can do it.
- Meanwhile, Reynie is reunited with Miss Perumal, who has arranged to adopt him; Sticky is reunited with his parents, who, it turns out, never said they were better off without him, but worried instead that Sticky was better off without them. Turns out Sticky heard that phrase out of context. Oops.
- Mr. Benedict offers to adopt Constance, who says she'll "have to think about it, but [is] inclined to accept" (39.72). This will make Rhonda and Number Two her sisters—Mr. B adopted both of them years ago.
- Happy, reunited with family, and feeling pretty good about things for the time being, the kids go outside to have a snowball fight, watched by Mr. Benedict, who is quite content to watch them play because, as he says, "They are children, after all" (39.87).