493-564 Summary

"The Key" begins with Bessie Popkin thinking about the things that torment her in life. Bessie is an older woman and widowed with no children. She often lays things down and then finds them somewhere completely different when she goes to look for them. Bessie blames all of this on her neighbors that hate her. Bessie has changed the locks on her door and lays little traps so that she will know if anyone breaks in but she is still tormented. Bessie knows that her landlord has put rats and roaches in her house to get her to move out but it hasn't worked yet. Bessie has written letters to the police, the mayor, the FBI, and the president in order to have some of her problems fixed but no one has helped her. Bessie gets ready to leave for the supermarket and...