Chapter 39: The Eternal City

In Chapter 39 of Catch-22, Yossarian and Milo travel to Rome, which has been destroyed by bombing. Yossarian learns from an old woman that the soldiers had the right to force the prostitutes out of their apartment under Catch-22, which states that they can do anything that cannot be stopped. Yossarian realizes that Catch-22 does not actually exist, but it does not matter because everyone believes in it. Milo becomes distracted by the opportunity to make money from illegal tobacco and leaves, while Yossarian wanders the streets and witnesses various acts of violence and inhumanity. When he returns to his apartment, he finds that Aarfy has raped and murdered a maid, but the military police apologize to Aarfy and arrest Yossarian for not having a pass to be in Rome.