In this chapter, we learn that the phantom has been able to recognize the private detective's presence in the back of the room. The private detective, however, is not able to doubt that he is the one who has been watching the phantom all day. He says that he plans to send the dog to a new owner. He also says that it is a perfect match for him, as he is a "professional" at finding lost people. The detective asks the father if he is in love with five different people, and the father replies that he has been in love five different times. The father asks the detective if he would like to see how the phantom reacts to seeing him on the news. He wonders if the phantom is a misunder, a thief, or a man in a compromising position. When the detective says that the police have no plan to solve the problem, the father says that if the problem cannot be solved right, why not just expect that the best outcome will come of it? The detective replies that in some cases, the problem can be solved by itself, as long as the solution is not the best possible one. He is sad that he can no longer see the father's face, but he blames the father for nagging him with the mask. He tells the father that they could be a normal couple if it were not for the fake love letter