Chapter 5 Summary

After the explanatory Chapter 3, Chapter 5 flashes back to the night of Wellington’s demise. Christopher pulls the fork out of the poodle and lifts him into his arms. The dog is “leaking blood from the fork holes.” He tells us that he likes dogs because they have only four moods: happy, sad, cross and concentrating. These are within his limited ability to comprehend emotions. Christopher has been hugging the dog for four minutes—not about four, but four—when Mrs. Shears comes running out of her house cursing and shouting and accuses him of killing Wellington. She orders him to put the dog down, and because he doesn’t like being shouted at, he puts the dog down and moves back two meters. Christopher puts his hands over his ears, closes his eyes and rolls forward until he is “hunched up with my...