After doing his rounds in the station, Hugo goes to his room to read his magic book. He has finished it and is now practicing tricks with objects in his room. He thinks about Isabelle introducing him to Etienne as her friend. Later, he pulls out the automaton and looks at the parts he has taken from the toy booth. Hugo sees a piece that could fit into the machine’s arm, so he makes a few minor adjustments and places it in the machine. Fixing something without the help of his father’s notebook excites him and gives him hope.

Days pass and Hugo grows tired as he works on the clocks and at the toy booth by day and on the automaton by night. He is close to finishing the mechanical man but keeps his promise to meet Etienne and Isabelle at the movie theatre. When Hugo arrives, he sees Isabelle; they wait for Etienne, who is late, causing Isabelle to worry. Hugo asks Isabelle why Georges won’t let her see movies as they wait, but she doesn’t know; her only guess is that he thinks they are a waste of time.