In this chapter, we learn that the protagonist and his friend are planning to go to the age-old rite of passage known as "the age ceremony." The ceremony involves a young man and a young woman exchanging wedding vows. The young man is expected to accept the young woman's hand in marriage and marry her. In this way, the young man will be able to "enjoy god's" for the rest of his life. The chapter ends with the protagonist's soliloquy in which he explains that he has heard a rumor that a girl who accepts a boy's hairpin will marry the boy she accepts and enjoy her life forever. He also explains that a boy who forcibly puts his hairpin on a girl's scalp will be considered to be a "heroic" and will be rewarded with a lifetime of happiness.