Summary

In Chapter 7, “Woe, Woe Is Me!,” Wojnicz takes a walk through town, smiling at every person he sees and admiring his surroundings. Then he arrives at the library. The attendant Tomášek warns Wojnicz about the old men in town, insisting they confuse young men and make them do bad things. Unnerved, Wojnicz hurriedly leaves the library. He sees the woman in the hat again and is “struck dumb” (113).

During the daily “rest-cure hours,” Wojnicz starts sleeping near Thilo (113). He finds his presence comforting and enjoys lying awake thinking. Today, his mind drifts to January and his uncle Emil. Wojnicz remembers January and Emil ridiculing him for getting upset when their cook killed ducks for dinner.

Wojnicz runs into the woman in the hat again while out walking with August and Lukas. Wojnicz feels immobilized and dizzy. In the days following, Wojnicz starts...