Postwar Stories, Section 2. Desire in November; & Transit Bed Summary

"Desire in November" takes place on a November day, just after the cold of winter has first arrived. The city is filled with poor people, and when they hear that a priest named Don Grillo is distributing sets of flannel underwear, many people get in line outside his house. One of them is a silly old man named Barbagallo, who wears just a trenchcoat and boots. Someone has stolen Barbagallo's clothes during the summer, and ever since, Barbagallo has been in and out of various jails and poorhouses, because he is always getting arrested for public nudity. Barbagallo pushes his way to the front of the line, saying that he needs clothes more than anyone else. Next door to Don Grillo's is a fur shop, and as Barbagallo sits...