Summary

When Chapter 18 begins, Stanley is waiting at the curb for the Santa Monica bus. He gets on the bus and tells Claudio that they are going to Hollywood. Stanley has just gotten a shaved haircut, and Claudio tells him that he looks like a solider. During the bus ride, Stanley tells Claudio what the barber told him about Adrian Welles. Apparently, Welles has been involved in writing and directing movies lately, and he is currently editing a film in Hollywood. Claudio tries to be supportive, but he is skeptical. As they make their way to Hollywood, Stanley starts to have second thoughts. He begins to question his judgment of Welles, as he cannot quite picture him as a movie director.

After they get off the bus, they wander around for a while before Claudio gets directions. When they reach Grauman’s Chinese, Claudio...