Part 1, Chapter 7 Summary and Analysis

A typical military case occurs in Mongolia in 1941 when a medical assistant realizes the Organs must justify its existence. He asks a lieutenant (his love rival) loaded questions: why is the Army retreating from the Germans and will the Allies help? The positive answers are turned into defeatism in a denunciation. Chulpenyev is arrested, held a month, convicted, and Lozovsky still believing it matters, explains his answers, refuses to incriminate anyone, and asks to be shot to prove his patriotism—along with his accuser. He is rubber-stamped a tenner plus three years' disenfranchisement.

Everyone knows it is a farce but pretends to be serious. A transit guard asks a prisoner why he gets 25 years and, receiving the expected answer, corrects him: the sentence for "nothing" is ten years. Trials last as long as it takes to walk in...