Part Two, Chapter I - II Summary

It is March of 1903, in Cologne, Germany. August Esch is a young bookkeeping clerk who has just been sacked by his employer over a misunderstanding about accounts. He is on his way to his favorite restaurant when he encounters his friend, Martin Geyring. Martin is on crutches and works as a trade union organizer, a profession not approved of by the government. The two men go into a restaurant owned by another friend they call Mother Hentjen. Frau Hentjen hates her restaurant and the people she serves, and would rather be in a business more suited to a woman. She is an excellent cook, but a poor manager of her employees. Esch secures a position in Mannheim, and his new employer is Bertrand, Joachim's friend. He stays in touch with his friends in...