Book I Chapters 5 and 6 Summary

Claire learns that her baby might not be assigned to a family in December at the Ceremony because he is not thriving. The male room attendant says he sneaked into the office to see what Thirty-six's name is so he can use it in secret to see if it helps the baby be more responsive. When Claire returns to the Fish Hatchery, her life continues on in its routine manner, but her mind never strays from thinking about her son.

Claire thinks about how each dwelling is assigned one girl child and one boy child. Since Claire is younger than her brother, she doesn't know much about babies. She questions some of her co-workers, Dmitri, Rolf and Edith, about their feelings for their younger siblings. None of them experienced the yearning Claire seems to have for her...