It's winter, which means it's time for the next chapter. The narrator tells the chief that he's already heard that the government's performance isn't good. He asks if the government is trying to raise the arrest rate by arresting people. The chief says he doesn't know if that's a good measure of performance, but he'll do his best to keep it low in the future, since at least some people have to maintain their humanity in the country. He also mentions that there are some lawyers who have set up their own law offices, and he says that it'd be strange for him not to leave. He's not a judge, he says, and the government paid for the rooster but took the hen with it, so all of the eggs and chickens are his. He goes on to say that he came to see his brother, who's exhausted. He says he needs to pat him on the back, even though his condition seems to be getting better. He wants to kiss him, but the snow has stopped, so he has to gulp gulp gulp to get it to stop. He then asks if he has a lot of work to do, and if he enjoys writing novels. He has to revise his manuscript and go to see the professor next week. He hopes to get his heart warmed, or, at least, he hopes to feel alive.