Chapter Three and Chapter Four Summary

In Chapter Three, Alex reports to school where he attends mass alone, not ready to sit with his friends and discuss the last few days. Alex begins to feel bitterness toward his classmates as Alex knows they feel little of the pressure and heartache he is dealing with. Most of them are wealthy, and come from families with connections, whereas his family is poor. A new priest, Father Frances Patrick Xavier Mulrooney, stands at the front, and informs the young men all resident priests have been reassigned, and he is now acting headmaster. Mulrooney is clearly strict, and a menacing figure. Mulrooney explains many of the staff has left, and it is up to the students to carry the burden of their work. Additionally, he notes the boys should assume things will get worse, and...