Chapter 8 Summary

After his encounter with the tall ghost, the narrator sits on the riverbank and feels as miserable and discouraged as he's ever felt. Before his conversation with the tall ghost it had never occurred to him to doubt the intentions of the Solid People, but now he explores the possibility and wonders that they don't seem to help the ghosts more. He thinks that it might be true that the bus trip might just be to mock the ghosts, that it is like a punishment of those consigned to hell.

Suddenly, he no longer feels safe there. He worries that a dewdrop might knock him down or that an insect landing on his head could crush him to the earth. He feels that he would be safer if he avoided open areas, so he stays near shrubs and trees until he comes across...