Summary

The fourth chapter marks the beginning of Gervaise’s laundry business, the highpoint for the family, and also the beginnings of Coupeau’s endless battle with alcoholism. Covering the four years after their marriage, the Coupeau’s have moved into a new apartment, near where the shop will soon materialize, and Gervaise is expecting her child to be due in about one month. Finally, on the last day of April, Gervais gives birth in her own living room to her first daughter, while Coupeau is still at work. They call the baby Nana, short for Anna, and peace reigns in the Coupeaus' home for about the next three years: they become friends with their neighbors, the Goujets, and Coupeau’s work is steady.

One day Gervaise notices that the shop on the first floor of the complex on Rue de la Goutte-d’Or is...