Goodbye to Berlin, Section 4 Summary

"The Nowaks"

Christopher visits Otto (see "Goodbye to Berlin - Section 3"), whose home is in an inexpensive, run-down part of Berlin, in hopes of finding a less expensive place to live. Frau Nowak, Otto's mother, welcomes him happily, and through Otto suggests that he (Christopher) move in with them. Christopher agrees, and finds himself living with a family in which bad food, bickering, and heavy drinking are the mainstays of life. He quickly becomes tired and worn down by the atmosphere, both in the flat and in the building - "It was alien and mysterious and uncanny," he writes, "like sleeping out in the jungle alone." He starts spending more and more time away - teaching lessons during the day, going out to clubs in the evening. Eventually, the very ill Frau Nowak agrees to move into...