This chapter opens with a soliloquy by Gilji, in which he declares that he and his fellow gili will be the ones to shape the future of the Republic of Madishi. He tells Gilji that the gili have been wandering in the desert for years because of the lines on the map drawn by other peoples' hands. The people of the republic live like kings, he says, and they work like kings to make the land fairer. Gilji asks him how he proposes to change the world, and Gilji tells him that he is not dreaming, but that he has gone mad. He says that he wants to bring about an end to the injustice that exists between the two peoples. He wants to end the trade of refuse between them, and he wants them to be able to eat each other's food. He asks Gilji if he is going to talk all day, and she says that she is not going to. She asks him why he does not want peace and security for his wife and children. He replies that he would rather talk to her all day than to chat all night. He also says that even if they bring about change to the land, it will not be enough until the people change, too. He compares the rats to rats, and says that if they were given the chance to be reborn again, they would choose the same life Gilji leads now. He adds that the tiny termite can change the mighty desert, and if they can do so, surely they can change a single country. Meanwhile, the situation in the Republic