The chapter opens with a discussion of the importance of rites of passage. The narrator explains that all rites are important, but that the most important ones are ones that are best avoided. He calls them "negative rites" and says that if a man belongs to the Itoshiki family, he must go through these rites. If he is scared, he can stay behind and learn about the fragile nature of the world. He says that he is not ashamed of being a bureaucrat all day. He explains that his first step in changing his life was waking early every morning. Why are you wooing, he asks, and here is you lonely at night. There are lots of negative rites in the world, he says, including dating a nurse musician, getting arrested for possession of drugs, falling in love, and being rejected by a student. He concludes by saying that he has not yet completed his teacher's rites either.