Chapter 4 Summary

As a result of Lux's disobedience, Mrs. Lisbon imposes a lockdown on the house. She also orders Lux to destroy all her rock records. The girls are confined to the house from then on and none will be able to attend school while the lockdown is in effect. During an interview decades later, Mrs. Lisbon states that this drastic move was only intended to allow the girls to recover from their sister's tragic death. Other witnesses interviewed by the narrators suggest that by that time, Mrs. Lisbon has also stopped taking care of her household altogether, leaving the family to resort to foraging for food in a dirty and decaying environment.

Besides Mr. Lisbon's daily commuting to his daytime job at the school, no family member is seen leaving the home. Soon after the lockdown however, the boys start to observe Lux having...