The chapter opens with a discussion of the summer's "waves" and the possibility of a "global warming" phenomenon. The two men discuss whether or not they should "let anything happen" to each other, and whether they should talk about it openly. The first man is a "psych son" who is hoping to practice medicine in New York City someday. The second man is from a nearby town and has come to New York to "get away from home" and "to get away from the psych department" . He tells the first man that he likes the "California mentality" more than the "New York mentality" because it is "more open, more free" and he can "just be comfortable here in general." He tells him that the war is over and that he is "okay with it" and that "this is the real world" where students experiment and learn. The men agree that they can do what they want and that they are both "disgusting" for encouraging others to do the same. They decide to go to a nearby bakery and have a "morning run" together.