The chapter opens with a description of the protagonist's appearance. The protagonist is described as a young man with a mature face, a youthful complexion, and a youthful sexual appeal. He is a student at the University of California, Berkeley. He has just returned from his first day of classes, and his roommate, the transfer student, is waiting for him in the lobby of the student apartment building where he is staying. The transfer student tells the protagonist that he has fainted, and the protagonist tries to call for an ambulance, but the student refuses to go to the scene of the accident. The student, however, does not want to leave the protagonist alone, so he has him rest at his home for the night.