Summary

The men blame Gigliola for the fire because of her smoking habit, who, in turn, accuses the photo itself, because it is of the devil. Life goes on, except that Michele starts hanging around the grocery where Lila works, rousing Stefano's ire. Lila is bitter during this time. The fiancees, Pinuccia and Gigliola, still upset over the attention Lila receives from Michele. They in turn work on their men to settle the matter. Stefano and Rino approach Michele and ask him to leave Lila alone, but he overcomes them with his superior intelligence: Lila, he claims, would make the store in the Piazza shine, and they were wasting her in the grocery store. Stefano won't allow that, but he will urge her to design new shoes. Lila refuses. She is in low spirits and asks Elena to stay near her.

In Chapter 32, Lila...