Chapter 5 Summary

Denise encounters Mouret one more time before spending the next two months working hard, trying to adapt to the hard labor of working at the shop. She still does not win any respect from her coworkers. She fears Bourdoncle, who is set against her, as well as Jouve, an inspector, who is nice to her, hoping for sexual favors. Jean comes to the store, in spite of Denise's forbidding it, to get money for one of his affairs. Denise barely has enough for Pépé's board, much less the things for herself that she badly needs. Jean manages to convince her to give him the money anyway, worsening Denise's constant worries about money.

Denise is in her room cleaning and repairing her things when Pauline knocks on her door. The girls exchange stories and complain about the other girls in the ladies'...