- The boys are being dragged to their new crib, a.k.a. the local children's home. The place is a mess and all of the boys are "downcast and silent" (10.1).
- The old woman who runs the place is pretty rude, too, and she pushes the boys into a small room that's filled to the brim with other boys.
- To make things even worse, Miska has fallen ill and isn't looking good.
- The director of the children's home arrives a few minutes later and calls over the band, writing their names in his ledger. When he gets to Peter, however, he says that he's too old and must be sent to a real prison.
- Miska freaks out when he hears this and grabs the director's coat. The director responds by hitting Miska in the head with a large "leather bludgeon" (10.14) and storming out.
- Miska is covered with blood. Peter tries his best to help him, but Miska is still unconscious the next morning.
- Peter shouts for the old woman to help, but she refuses. Without any other options, the boys sneak out to steal vodka (for sterilization purposes) in a desperate attempt to save their friend.
- That night, Alex is sleeping beside Miska when he suddenly realizes that something is wrong. After a moment, Peter confirms their worst fear: Miska is dead.
- Emotionally destroyed, Peter wakes up the crew and tells them that they must leave. They go off ahead, while he stays behind to fulfill some mysterious task…
- Peter enters the director's room, where the old man is sleeping. He grabs the bludgeon and wakes him up. Dude is terrified.
- But then the director attacks. The two men struggle with one another, until a pot of boiling water falls on the director's head (seriously) and kills him.
- Peter hustles out of there like crazy. Before he leaves, however, he sneaks into the female section of the orphanage and rescues Anya.
- The gang reunites and scrambles away from the home. Peter reveals that he killed the director, but tells the group that the ban on killing still stands.
- This sets Alex off for some reason. He goes into a long rant about how the government is failing kids like them. You should really read it. You are reading it, right?