Part Five (to page 265), Summary and Analysis

The family decides to move to a house in Oak Park on the outskirts of town. Mrs. Dodson explains that if they don't keep up with the house payments, they will lose the deposit and the house, but they are not deterred. A real estate broker arrives at the apartment with the contract and explains things in detail. Little is understood by the Galarzas. Henriqueta watches the man's face intently as he speaks. She asks Ernie to pose one question to the banker: How long it will take to pay for the home? The answer, twenty years, is shocking, but the Galarzas sign the contract anyway.

Before leaving the apartment, Ernie digs a hole in the backyard and buries his marble collection. As part of this ritual, he tamps the ground and lays a curse...