Summary

The kids play with an orange sack. A man from the village comes to the hut and asks for his sack. He uses the sack to make ropes. The kids say the sacks were just lying around. Victor feels angry because the man accuses him of stealing. Bam gives the man two rands and pats him on his back, allowing Victor to keep the sack.

A litter of kittens find their way to their hut. Maureen and Bam want the kittens to leave. Later that day, Maureen tells Bam she drowned the kittens. Bam expresses both surprise and disgust. He looks at her hairy, unshaven legs and her scratching at the flea bites on her rib cage and thinks “poor thing.” Bam asks her why she didn’t get one of “them” to do it.

Analysis

A sense of privilege and entitlement pervade this section. Victor...