Chapter Twenty-Five through Chapter Twenty-Eight Summary

In chapter twenty-five, David goes to the Chandler's to hear commotion downstairs. He arrives to find the boys and Ruth using Meg as a tackling dummy. David feels a surge of power as he realizes he could join them. He believes, for a moment, that she is separate from them, and that this separation is perhaps justified. He realizes now the situation was personal, and that it touched a deep part of him he is shameful of now, that he wanted something bad to happen to Meg. He realizes how he learned to hate and fear from that moment, in the basement, with Ruth and the others.

They continue to tackle her, trying to make her cry. She refuses, but does crumble to the floor when she hits her head. They leave, locking her in...