Chapter Five Summary

Eugene recalls some of the more eccentric students he's taught at the college. One is the son of an oil sultan from the Middle East who is reportedly worth 30 million dollars. The oil shiek's son is also intellectually gifted. But Eugene remembers that when he first said hello to the new student, the young man asked Eugene to never speak to him again under any circumstances, a promise which Eugene maintained despite his feelings the sheik's son was emotionally a cripple. Eugene feels empathy for the lonely boy, remembering how lonely he had been as a teen back at the science fair his father ruined. As he was leaving said event, Eugene tells the reader how he had run into Sam Wakefield, an enlisted officer, who convinces Eugene he should join the military. Eugene is so confused by the sudden offer...