Chapter Twenty Summary

At his termination meeting, Eugene has to endure one last insult. Wilder demands to quote Shakespeare into the records as he exits the hearings, calling into question further with his quotes Eugene's worthiness as a man of honor. Eugene reflects about the evening many years previously when he first learned that his wife Mildred and her entire family have a history of severe mental illness. He feels robbed that she didn't reveal this fact to him before they had a child. He remembers when he first was home from the Vietnam conflict and having a lonely dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland. A man had touched Eugene's military-shaved hair and sent Eugene into a rage. A fight had erupted, making a mess of the restaurant. Eugene had fled the scene only to run into Sam Wakefield, who once again...