The chapter opens with a flashback to the beginning of the novel, where the narrator asks the reader to imagine the events leading up to the present. He tells the reader that he and the narrator have been friends since childhood, and that the narrator's father has been a good friend to both of them. The narrator asks his father if he would like to see the two of them together, and the father replies that he would, but that he does not wish to see them together. He then asks the narrator if he has ever met a man who is as good looking as the narrator, and he says that he has. He also tells the narrator that he is not sure if the narrator is a good man or a bad man, but he is sure that he will be good for the narrator. After the narrator leaves the room, the narrator tells his father that he wishes he could see him again. He asks the father why he has not been able to see him. The father tells him that it is because he has been away from home for a long time, and has not had the opportunity to see his son, who is now sixteen years old. He says that his son's absence has been felt in his absence. He adds that he feels that the absence of his son has caused the narrator to lose his sense of self-worth, and therefore, he wishes that he could have seen him again