This chapter opens with a warning that the village is in danger of being overrun by the enemy, and that the soldiers in the village are better equipped to fight off an enemy than the ones fighting at the gate. The villagers worry that their leader, Grandfather Mole, is still around, but he is no longer in charge of the village. He urges everyone to support the village perimeter, and he warns that if the gate is breached, the village will be under attack. He tells the villagers that he has dealt with this man, but that he is not interested in understanding the man's past, personality, or intentions. He says that the recent generation of hybrids has become "utterly weak farmers," and he does not want to hand over his brother to the enemy.