Chapter 23: Nately’s Old Man

In Chapter 23 of Catch-22, Nately finally finds his prostitute in Rome and tries to convince Aarfy and Yossarian to pay for sex with her friends. They all go to the apartment building where the girls live, and find an abundance of naked young women. Nately gets into an argument with an elderly man in the building about moral duty and nationalism, and defends the values of America. However, the old man brings to mind Nately's father, which disturbs him. The prostitute is indifferent to Nately and eventually goes to bed, leaving him to continue his argument with the old man. The following morning, the prostitute allows Nately to sleep with her, but they are interrupted by her little sister.