Chapter 233 Summary

Over Christopher’s breakfast of fried tomatoes and green beans the next morning, he hears Mr. Shears already complaining about the flat being too small for three people. His mother says, “He can stay as long as he wants to stay.” Mother takes compassionate leave from her job and takes Christopher shopping. It is crowded, however, and he curls up on the floor and screams. They ride home in a taxi. Later, he tells Mother that he must go back to Swindon to take his A-level math exams, and she says that may not be possible. When he is unable to sleep, Christopher goes outside, crouches down between two parked cars and contemplates the nighttime in London. He goes out of the window of his room because he fears Mr. Shears. When Christopher’s mother finds him, she is frantic, reliving the stress...