Summary

Chapter five is titled “Rites.” The men are eating the continental breakfast provided by the hotel. The breakfast is average, but the men feel like “they were getting away with something” (157). As they arrive in their jerseys, the people from Prestige Vista Solutions had already gone through the buffet. When it is replenished, the men begin to eat.

Fat Michael mixes something in three cups and drinks it quickly. He sits alone and does not look well, in spite of how well he looks physically. After eating, Nick passes through the dining area to the fountain. Seeing the fountain reminds him of when he was a child and stole quarters from a fountain to buy an erotic puzzle. He ended up digging a hole in the backyard and burning the puzzle out of shame.

The men linger in the dining room. A woman...