The narrator tells the story of how he and his family lost their son, Johan. He says that the family couldn't care for him because they didn't know when he would become violent. Johan is a quiet boy, who likes to be alone. His room was too small for him, so the family had to keep him in a separate room. The narrator says that after the story about Johan's disappearance was published, people from all over the world came to visit his house. They wanted to know how he was doing, and how many children he had, and they wanted to take him with them. He doesn't understand why they would want to take a child away from him, since he's been living in poverty for so long. He also says that he has never seen a child like this before, and he wonders if he would have been able to find him if he'd run away. He wonders if the rescue team would have found him if they hadn't been so lax in looking for him. He compares Johan to the man who injured his back the last time they were in the village, and wonders if it's the same animal that can't find its way back to its owner. He asks the narrator if he really hates the village that much, and the narrator replies that he does, and that he just laments this deplorable situation. He tells the narrator to call him ajie , which means "friend." The narrator thanks him for his kind words, and tells him that he should try to walk around the village again.