Summary

Bormenthal and Philip speak privately. Bormenthal speaks of how grateful he is for his and Philip’s friendship. Bormenthal states that Philip cannot work under the conditions of having Sharikov in the house. Philip agrees with this statement. Bormenthal suggests that the only way to fix the situation is to kill Sharikov. Philip rejects the idea, saying that the repercussions would be too great if anyone were to find out. Bormenthal begs Philip for permission to kill Sharikov by giving him a dose of arsenic. Bormenthal says that Sharikov is “a man with the heart of a dog” (105). Philip is horrified by Bormenthal’s statements. Philip says that he has come to believe that the human body parts may be responsible for some of Sharikov’s behavior, as they have come from the body of a proletarian. Bormenthal suggests that perhaps the operation should be undone...