Part 1, Search for the Father, School Summary

Jacques visits his old elementary school teacher, M. Bernard. Jacques has fond memories of him. He works the children very hard, but he is fair, strict and loving toward all his students. He has a special fondness for those boys who lost their fathers in the war, such as Jacques, because he fought alongside their fathers. As a child, Jacques competes with his friend Pierre in subjects. They are both very smart and they are both at the top of their class. Every morning Jacques and Pierre scare the stray dogs in the neighborhood so they are not caught by the dogcatcher. The dogcatcher then chases them.

Jacques and Pierre love school. It is a way to escape their home lives and to discover new things. M. Bernard reads a war novel to...