Chapter Eleven Summary

Peekay outlines his daily routine. He gets up early in the morning and reports to the prison for boxing practice. He trains diligently with the equipment, eventually getting a feel for the speedball. Although he is making progress, he is impatient with the pace of his schedule and eager to get into the ring. Doc often helps him with his frustrations by reminding him that all great piano players must first learn the basics so well that they become second nature. For his part, Doc is virtually a free man in the prison, where he has elected to stay instead of going to a concentration camp. He gives Peekay piano lessons after his boxing practice each morning. Doc is also very interested in watching Peekay at his boxing lessons.

After school, Peekay often tends to the professor's cactus garden by pruning...