Quan arrives at Zone K only to find that the general and political commissar he was meant to meet are no longer there. Instead, he meets Commander Dao Tien, who tows the Party line, much to Quan's displeasure. Quan and Dao Tien argue about Marxism and what purpose it serves. As with his refusal of Vieng’s advances, Quan questions his own motives in deliberately antagonizing someone who is ultimately only trying to help him in getting to where he’s trying to go. While talking, Quan realizes that Dao Tien’s younger brother was a member of a unit that Quan’s unit attacked by mistake, thinking they were the enemy; he refers to it as “the darkest of all [his] memories” (83).

Dao Tien takes Quan to where Bien, his childhood friend, is held. Bien is unwashed, injured, and spouts nonsense. Dao Tien tries to convince Quan that madness must be hereditary in Bien’s family or came from being kicked in the head by a cow. Once again, Quan dives into his memories and recalls Bien as a boy, and the experiences they had to together, along with remembrances of Bien’s family.

The next day, Quan meets Bien alone and determines that Bien’s madness is a ruse.