Summary

Kiguunda and Wangeci hurriedly attempt to straighten up their home because they think that Kioi has arrived, but it is actually Gicaamba and his wife Njooki. They are curious as to why Kioi and his wife want to visit Kiguunda and Wangeci, and urge them to tell Gathoni to cut off her relationship with John Muhuuni, since “rich families marry from rich families, the poor from the poor!” (32). Gicaamba then explains that even though he regularly receives wages, they never equal the amount of value he creates, and elites and foreigners take most of it. He also details the difficulty of his life as a factory worker and laments that their village has not reaped any of the benefits of industrial development. Wangeci and Njooki remind him that at least they are independent, but he ignores them and continues to rant about how...