Jurgis goes back to Chicago for the summer and gets a job in a mine. He gets injured and spends a good deal of time in the hospital. When he gets out, no one bothers to care that he does not have a bit of money to support himself with. No one even asks. Therefore, he wanders the street and begs.
It turns out that Jurgis is a lousy beggar. There are people who make their living begging, and they have it down to a science. At this point Jurgis seems to simply exist until the warm weather can come and he can go.....
