Chapter 3, Part 1 Summary

Yakov sits in a cell thinking back to how the police made him march handcuffed through the streets while people whispered and stared on their way to work. He is terrified. The people of Kiev think he is a "murdering Jew," and the guards march past his cell with weapons drawn. As Yakov sits tearing out his hair in despair, a well-dressed man comes down the hallway and orders the guards to leave him alone with Yakov.

The man introduces himself as a member of the secret police. He is B.A. Bibikov, in charge of the investigation. He asks Yakov his story and Yakov explains about his unfaithful wife and how he came to Kiev for a new start. Bibikov asks Yakov pointedly if he murdered the child. After Yakov insists he did not, Bibikov questions Yakov about the philosophy...