As S is escorted down the street by Ostrero and Pfeifer, he laments the fact that the onlookers are coming up with “scurrilous” stories about why he is there. S’s fear of this cements him as an outsider, reinforcing the “us vs. them” mentality that runs through much of the book.

S makes eye contact with a detective and the detective nods in his direction, which unnerves S. Could this mean that in his old life he worked for Vevoda? S quickly dismisses this possibility, since the “detective” is far away, and would be unlikely to reveal himself with something as obvious as a nod. Even so, would it matter? Even if S worked for Vevoda before he lost his memory, would he be able to forge a new identity with his actions that is separate from his previous self?

As the three men get to the center of the throng, Ostero motions to the man with the megaphone. This shows that Ostero likely knows the man, and is thus likely a major figure in the protest. Finally, S sees the woman who was previously with the megaphone man moving through the crowd.

In the margins, Eric notes that it is interesting how Straka includes the bit about S questioning his convictions/past, since S is commonly interpreted to represent Straka, and Straka “never had any doubt about which side he was on, politically” (83). This could mean, writes Eric, either that S is not simply meant to represent Straka, or nothing, simply a detail added to make for a better story.

The most significant event on the page is Eric boldly stating:

“Jen: I like you.”

(83) Jen responds coldly with a questioning “Even though you don’t know anything about me…” (83), to which Eric passionately explains how she is clearly a thoughtful and caring person, and she’s “tried harder to understand (him) than anyone has in a long time.” (83)

This exchange is extremely important in the story of Jen and Eric. It marks the first time that either one of them so blatantly confesses their feelings toward the other. For the rest of their correspondence, Jen and Eric communicate differently because they are no longer purely scholars analyzing an interesting work of literature-they are now friends, possibly with even stronger feelings than friendship for each other.