Summary

In Chapter 5, Zorrie woke up one morning to the smell of smoke. Outside, she "saw red through the trees, heard sirens in the distance" (115). She soon learned that Noah had lit his barn on fire. When she got to the far, she watched the fireman douse the flames. Noah was in front of the fire, throwing things into the flames and howling. He "refused to let himself be examined by the ambulance crew" (116). Everyone realized that Noah had burned the barn, hoping to be committed to the Logansport hospital with Opal. No one listened to his pleas to be taken away.

Hank stopped by to explain the situation to Zorrie. He encouraged Zorrie to keep an eye on Noah. Though Noah wanted to be with Opal, he could not be committed, as he had no history of mental health issues. Burning his barn bordered...