At the end of the chapter, the narrator asks if he did something wrong. He's worried that he'll end up hurting Lockwood, and he's also worried about how to react if he does something that's so bad. He wonders if it's because the air is dry, or because he went out to a shrine with Lockwood, or something else. He also wonders if there's some kind of invisible force that pushes and pulls people together, and if that force is evil. The narrator then asks if Lockwood's apology for retiring from the industry was a fake one, or if he was just trying to confirm his feelings for Lockwood. He says he was serious about it, and that Lockwood has been staying at the house for half a month, which makes it easier for him to stay. Lockwood wonders if this is a sign that someone is trying to get him to move out of the house, but the narrator assures him that it is not.