Summary

As this chapter begins, Peter and his family are getting ready for Halloween, with Fudge making plans to be a scary ghost. There are conversations about the length of time it is taking for Dad to write his book, and about commercials and about how people sometimes exaggerate the truth. There are also conversations that involve Fudge trying to work out the meanings of words like “unite,” “contagious,” “fortified,” “exaggerate,” and “embellish” (98-99).

One afternoon, Peter is out with Alex when Peter sees an unusual painting in an art gallery that he thinks was made by Jimmy’s father, Frank Fargo. He goes into the gallery, and the assistant there says that yes, that is who painted it; that it is called “Anita’s Anger”; and that it costs $2,500. When he gets home, Peter is surprised to learn that his parents...