Summary

In Chapter 5, “The Ghost on the Stairs,” after another long day selling magazines, Bowen and Bob returned home. A few flights up, they noticed a man injecting himself with heroin. Bowen immediately recognized the sight, disliking the “reminder of the past” (60). Ever since meeting Bob, Bowen had been “on the way to complete recovery” (61).

Bowen was surprised when the man seemed apologetic, because addicts were notoriously selfish (61). Then the man collapsed. Realizing he had overdosed, Bowen called 999. Before the ambulance arrived, Bowen attempted CPR. The procedure did not help. When the paramedics arrived, they could not revive the man.

For days afterwards, Bowen “was in . . . shock” (67). He wondered about the man, his family and friends. Bowen was also troubled because he felt he had seen “the ghost of his not-so-distant past” (67). He could not believe he had once “lived that way,” too (68). He...