Summary

In Chapter 4, “Chest and Throat Complaints,” Wojnicz adjusts to life at the guesthouse over the following days. Overall, he finds the atmosphere cozy and “appetizing” (54). Then one day, Wojnicz runs into August while out for a walk. While walking, they discuss Frau Opitz’s death, truth, and violence. When they pass Fraus Weber and Brecht, August says they apparently live with a third woman who no one has seen in years. He launches into another monologue about female psychology. Then he explains that there is no cemetery in Görbersdorf because the town “celebrates life, not death” (58). Finally they arrive at the top of a hill where they discover Dr. Brehmer’s tomb; Wojnicz argues it is not really a cemetery after all.

On Tuesday, the guesthouse holds Frau Opitz’s funeral. At the church, Wojnicz notices an attractive woman in a large...