The narrator tells us that his parents left him a small sewing workshop and that he used it to make a living. As the civil war progressed, he was forced to stop selling fine clothing. He had no choice, he says, because he was given no other choice. The narrator says that he considered himself lucky to have a place to live, but that he would have to take an aptitude test to prove his worth. He says he lost his human form in the battle. The battle field was "kill or be killed," and the leaders were like the ladies who bought his clothes. The only difference was that the leaders had changed their names to madhouses when they entered the army. He also says that when he saw him distribute alms to the poor, he looked "pray on his face. Soon enough, he would be gone . . leaving us behind