Chapters XV and XVI Summary

In chapter fifteen, one of the few Negro doctors in Harlem is called and comes to treat Jake. Jake is told in the strongest terms by the doctor to stop drinking. Ray visits after his railroad run and is upset that Jake is sick again. He tells Jake that he met Madame Laurie and gave her Jake's address. Jake normally never gives out his address to his girlfriends. Then, Ray suggests that Jake move into a room in Ray's building. The room is cheap and has steam heat, and Jake plans to move there as soon as possible.

Ray is still agitated because he is thinking of a turn to the worse in events in his native Haiti. Under the surface, Ray is suffering. The chaos of the present is destroying Ray's hopes and dreams. Perhaps he...