The clay soldier asks why elias has saved him if he does not love him. He replies that he has kept his promise, and that he is the only one who has slept with him. When he took him in his arms, it appeared that he was not unhappy either. When the clay soldier tells him that he loves him, the soldier gets angry and tells him to accept anothers love. He tries to convince him, but he wants nothing of it. He realizes that the red plague is consuming him slowly, and he realizes that he would not have walked through the fire without thinking. The red plague has made him weaker than a child, and now he must eat to chase away his fright. He is drunk on wine that he had hidden among his belongings. He tells the cockroach that the plague does not affect him, and therefore he is not human. He says that he will crush the cockroach between his palms if the cockroach does not shut up. The vultures will clean her up, and they will look after him. They have lost enough time, they must push on