This chapter opens with a flashback to a time before the novel was published. In this time period, the novel's protagonist, Shmoop, was a student at a boarding school in the city of New York. He was introduced to the concept of "self-denial" by his father, who told him that he was not allowed to drink alcohol at school because it was considered a sin. Shmo, the protagonist's father, was also a member of the school's board of directors, and he was responsible for the supervision of the students. In the flashback, Shmo explains that his son brought him some alcohol to share with him at school, but Shmo did not know that he could get drunk with the alcohol. The flashback also shows Shmo's reaction to his son's presence at the school, and Shmo realizes that Shmo is not the only one who has been drinking at