Part VI: Chapter 1-5 Summary

In early February, the cold winter makes it virtually impossible for the starving miners to last much longer. The army is now occupying Montsou. Still the strike goes on and the miners are resisting the urge to go back to work. However, the tension is extremely high and Lantier chooses to hide to avoid the angry miners, the same men and women who followed him when the conflict started. He finds shelter in Jeanlin's burrow. He soon realizes that life in hiding is quite difficult, specially without seeing the light of day. Etienne Lantier now believes that the police are convinced that he has left the area, so he steps out of his hiding place. He meets with Jules, a young soldier, and starts to chat. He learns about the young man's history, his family and his...