Chapter 2 Summary

Ignatius compliments himself on the wisdom of his latest jottings about the breakdown of the medieval system. Someday the doodles that cover his floor will be edited into a magnificent comparative history. Examining his bloated abdomen, Ignatius contemplates how concerns over society cause his pyloric valve to snap shut, filling his stomach painfully with gas. Ignatius believes in the Rota Fortunzh ("Wheel of Fortune"), central to Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy. Luck, Boethius teaches, comes in cycles and Ignatius' is spinning downward. The car accident is a bad sign, and Ignatius prays that Fortuna will not crush him. Through the door, Irene asks for a Hail Mary for her upcoming meeting with Mancuso. She is happy Ignatius is praying, but wonders why he is always locked in his room. Ignatius bounces on his side to free a gas bubble, and the action produces...