The chapter opens with a soliloquy about how awesome it is that we're in the age of the lightning spider. The narrator says that it's a good thing that he's still alive, because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to catch the lightning bug. He also says that the guy who caught the bug was the same guy who used the bug a few years ago, and that's why the bug snapped the wires. He then goes on to say that the bug's not as bad as his dad was, because his dad's job was to keep the bugs in check, not to make them fly. Now, the narrator says, the bug isn't the same bug as the one he caught. He's just got a different personality. He says that his job is to make the bugs fly, and not to keep them in check. The bug is the one who fought the bug, not the other way around. So, he says, if you want to be a keeper, you've got to fight the bug. The keeper says that he doesn't care if the bug kills him, because he'll be sorry if he kills him. He promises to give the keeper a new outfit, new food, and new clothes if the keeper asks for it. He tells the keeper not to be mean to the guy, but to be nice to him if he wants it. Then the keeper says he'd like to die ten times, but that'd be too much for a keeper. He asks if they're still on the ship, and the keeper replies that they are, but it seems like they've run out of space. He wonders if there's really a way to get to the ship. He