The narrator introduces the concept of self-awareness: “To be effective, a self-help book requires two things. First, the help it suggests should be helpful. Obviously. And second, without which the first is impossible, the self it’s trying to help should have some idea of what help is needed” (77). He further explains the necessity for third-party guidance: “You have now spent the last few years taking the final step” (78) towards becoming filthy rich: learning from a master.

His master is a middle-aged man who takes food that is out of date and repackages it before selling it to vendors for a profit. The narrator is one of his salesmen, and he is good at it. One day the master asks him to take a ride with him. In the car, the master asks him about a colleague and says that he knows the man was stealing from him. He also says the man will disappear.

One night the narrator goes to a fashion show with a former schoolmate who gives him a white shirt and bowtie to wear. He poses as a waiter at the after party of the show, hoping to see the pretty girl, who is now a well-known model.