Chapter 5 Summary

As the days pass, David becomes more and more comfortable in the house. He is listening to music, enjoying getting clean, and reading books, even when Maria's father, Giovanni, becomes amused when he insists on only reading books written before 1917, "...because he wanted to be sure that what was in it was true and not something THEY had made up." He enjoys eating and learning to play with the other children, although he continues to avoid Carlo and rejects his apology. David also has difficulty understanding why Carlo and the other children don't appreciate all they have (see "Quotes," p. 109-110). At one point, he refuses to play a game involving prisoners and jailers, and attempts to explain to the others why playing such a game is evil, but ultimately fails to make them understand. At another point, Maria shows him a globe...