This chapter's epigraph comes from a conversation between Tamura and Tamura's son. Tamura tells Tamura that his father is a good man, but that his mother is a bad one. He tells his son that he is not a good person, and that he should be ashamed of himself for being a bad person. He also tells him that if he wants to be a good son, he should learn to love his mother. He says that he will do his best to help his mother, even if it means going against his family's wishes.