Part IV, Chapters 18-20 Summary and Analysis

Part IV begins with Chapter 18, which is called "A Dead Body Breathing." Examining his cell, Louis found carved on the wooden wall the names of ten Marines who had been missing in action. Their fate had been unknown until then. Louis and Phil were given meager food and weak tea to drink. There was a stinking latrine hole at one end of the cell that Louis was forced to stay near so the guards could see him through the small window hole in the door. One day a smiling Japanese man came to Louis' door and started asking him questions in English about his running career. Louis was known on the island and his capture was a popular topic of conversation. Louis asked the man about the men whose names were on the wall and...