- Moscow is empty. Well, not totally empty, but you know – only the dregs of the population are left.
- Tolstoy does an elaborate Homeric simile (check out the “Writing Style” section) about how the city is now like a beehive that no longer has a queen. The bees that are left have no purpose, and the hive is pretty obviously dead.
- Napoleon finally gets the news that the city has been deserted. He’s way P.O.’ed, since this means that his big dramatic entrance has been ruined.