David continues living with the family in their home. He continues to marvel at the beauty of their luxurious house, particularly the bathroom with its scented soaps and soft towels. David also enjoys reading their books and expanding his repertoire of words, finding synonyms for words that allow him to express himself more precisely.

He struggles to connect with the other children, recognizing that he will never be an ordinary child after his upbringing in the concentration camp around only adults. He declares that their games of “soldiers and prisoners” is “evil and horrible” (86). David only feels a genuine affinity with Maria and continues to resist Carlo’s efforts to repair their relationship. David is excited to find a globe in Andrea’s room; the children point out countries of Europe to him, and he tries to memorize them. He is dismayed at how far away Denmark is.

David contemplates confusedly why the man in the concentration camp would have given him milk and vitamins; he wonders whether he is an important person for the man to try to keep him alive or whether someone paid the man a bribe to help David escape.