Chapter 15 Summary

The next morning, Palmer is once again awakened by the sound of tapping at his bedroom window. Palmer tries to reason with the pigeon outside his window by telling him that people in this town kill birds just like him. He pleads with the obstinate bird to fly away. During breakfast, it occurs to Palmer that the pigeon must be hungry, so he throws a handful of cereal out his window and the bird devours it. Palmer is reminded of warnings his mother gave him in the past about not feeding stray animals so that they will not stay. However Palmer feels sorry for the hungry bird and ignores his mother's cautionary words.

Palmer is distracted all day with thoughts of the pigeon and has bittersweet feelings when he returns home to find that the bird has flown away. Palmer lies on his...