Part 2, Chapters 4, 5 and 6 Summary

Sal and Dean sleep all day on New Year's Eve but go into New York City for the parties and celebrations, stopping first at the apartment of their friend, Tom Saybrook. Lucille joins Sal at the party but does not like Dean or the other friends or their negative influence on Sal, who sadly realizes that the relationship with Lucille cannot last much longer because of her insistence to change him.

The group goes from party to party at the homes of other friends and eventually ends up at a jazz club to hear George Shearing play the piano. Afterwards while smoking marijuana, Sal shares with Dean that Shearing's music made him feel as if anything is possible.

After the holidays, Sal decides to return to the West Coast with Dean and Marylou, much to Sal's aunt's dismay. Sal...