Cameron's retirement is announced in a tiny column that misspells the names of two of his buildings. Keating declares that he has to have Roark work for him; he asks Francon, and Francon agrees. Keating goes to Roark, who had expected this, and Roark very curtly accepts the offer but says he doesn't want to be friendly and he doesn't want to do any designing. Keating asks why he is always so cold, and why he can't be agreeable or comfortable; Roark refuses to give him a real answer.
Roark goes to work for Francon. He has a difficult time because he sees what the buildings he was working on could be and weren't. Keating asks his advice on several occasions; the pride Keating feels when Roark tells him he's improving is different from the pride he has felt on other occasions. But then he gets an empty compliment from some lady and he forgets about Roark. He satisfies himself by picking on Roark, but Roark never takes the provocation.
Roark goes to a construction site to inspect a building and sees an electrician who is doing something the wrong way. He tells him how he should be doing it and the electrician scoffs at him. He despises architects and thinks they don't know what they're doing, and refuses to do what Roark says. Roark gets down and does it himself, correcting the electrician's mistake. Surprised, the electrician, Mike, loves him for it. Roark comes back to the same site another time, and Mike remembers him; they go out for a beer. Mike once worked for Henry Cameron, and is very impressed that Roark did the same.
