Act III, Scene 4 through Act III, Scene 7 Summary

In Scene 4, Melchior is at the reformatory. The other boys start to play a game where they stand in a circle around a coin and try to ejaculate onto it. The first boy to ejaculate onto the coin wins it as a prize. Melchior refuses to participate, but he realizes that he will have to go along with the other boys in order to survive at the reformatory. He thinks about escaping, as the other boys fight over who won the contest. The doctor who runs the reformatory comes by with a locksmith, making plans to put bars on the window through which Melchior hopes to escape.

In the next scene, Wendla is ill in bed, and Dr. Fizzpowder prescribes rest and pills. He seems positive about her prognosis. Wendla's mother...