Chapter 1, Part 1 Summary

A few hours after midnight on Christmas morning, Lute Fliegler wakes up wanting his wife, Irma. For a moment, he thinks about letting her sleep, because he knows she worked very hard to get ready for Christmas and is probably exhausted. However, he also knows Irma loves Christmas. Although she says three children are enough, she would probably risk it, because Christmas puts her in a good mood. Finally, Lute gives in to the temptation to wake her. Afterward, when Lute is asleep, the story shifts from the mind of Lute to the mind of Irma.

Irma looks out the window onto Lantenengo Street to see the snow and finds that she is thinking about how much she hates the Jewish family that has moved in across the street. Even though they paid much more than the asking price of their...