Summary

Benecke tried to hit the window, but it did not break. However, Benecke “smiled” (50), because he considered the window to be a small obstacle. He imagined himself laying on the floor of his living room. Benecke used a coin to hit the window “without any hope that the glass would break” (51). He then did the same with his shoe. After his failures, he realized that he might need to wait for Clare to return. He imagined the scenario of trying to explain what happened. However, he then realized that he would need to wait four hours, and his body could not handle this.

Panicking at this realization, Benecke became afraid once more, and he felt his muscles aching. Benecke turned his head and saw people in their apartments, but nobody noticed him. Benecke then decided to light some of the less valuable sheets...