Summary

As Chapter 5 starts, Bird cannot sleep, preoccupied with thoughts about the protestors and memories of his mother. He realizes that the story about the cats may be a clue for him—he and his mother used to play a game where they would draw cats, then he would hide in his closet.

After Bird’s mother was arrested, most of their neighbors either avoided Bird and his father or excessively checked up on them, implying that Bird’s father could not take care of him alone. The family began to receive harassment, such as notes in their mail; Bird’s father was forced to leave his professorship and take on his role in the library.

Bird visits his old house, which is now rundown and surrounded by weeds, but which he associates with happy memories of his family. He...