Part 5, Chapters 13-16 Summary

Tomas remembers how upset Tereza has been with the abused crow, and being accused of prostitution by the bald-headed man. He does not want to go to work, but goes anyway, hoping not to have to be with any woman. His assignment is with two men, who turn out to be his son and the editor from the magazine. They explain to him that they are trying to thwart the Communist takeover and want him to sign a petition, along with other lost, Czech intellectuals, denouncing the poor treatment of political prisoners.

Tomas feels compelled to sign, as it is a plea from his own son. However, the more the editor and his son talk about his duty to sign and what a great thing it was that he wrote the 'Oedipus' article, Tomas begins to think about what...