Chapter 5, Part 3 Summary

As the prisoners fight over three buckets of dingy, rodent-filled soup, Yakov is pushed aside and not allowed to eat. His name is never entered on the bread list and he begins to starve. Yakov senses mass hatred from the other prisoners and fears they will gang up on him to kill him.

During their exercise recess, one prisoner tells Yakov the men do not like him, because he sits away from them. Yakov decides he had better act friendly or he is done for. Remembering his troubles in the last prison, Yakov does not tell the others what crime he has been accused of. Instead, he just explains that he is new to prison and does not understand the social graces.

A prisoner named Fetyukov is sent to speak to Yakov. The man explains how he is a murderer and...