The mountain that S saw in the distance that was not totally destroyed turns out to have the bottom half of an “S” carved into it. Interestingly, S does not note any significance to this observation, which could signify that discovering his identity and/or the meaning of the S symbol is no longer as important to him as it used to be.

Following that, S think about Sola in the margins, telling him to carry on. “His efforts will not be sufficient, but they may well be necessary (350). This line seems to mean that nothing he does matters, but he must do it anyways, either because his work is a part of a whole, or because he is required to do by his conscience. S goes on to think about how there is so much wrong with the world, but he can’t solve any of that. He cannot fathom the reason why he must carry on fighting against that evil; that “remains as much a mystery to him as the origin of the symbol” (350).

In the margins, Jen tells Eric that she found an old photograph of Pollard State University under construction, and there was an S painted on it. Upon closer inspection Eric notices it too, but they never figure out who put it there and why.

Eric writes that he believes that it is Moody who is behind the attacks on Jen, and that they are just attempting to scare her. Jen reads this as a belittling of her situation, and she responds strongly by saying: “Gaslightning me? You’re saying I shouldn’t be afraid?” (350) This shows how on edge she has become after being exposed to such a stressful situation for so long.

Finally, at the bottom of the page Jen expresses determination about getting her degree. Furthermore, she asserts that it is for herself, not for her parents. Eric strongly applauds this sentiment. Jen goes on to say that she will then “get the hell out of here” (350), because she’s sick and tired of Pollard State University. This shows how she is not passionate about her studies in college, and how much more she cares about her research on Straka and her relationship with Eric.