Philipose reaches Madras, reeling at the immense, dusty Central Station and its chaotic crowds. A white man—later revealed as Principal Brattlestone—yanks him out of the path of a rushing cart, a near-miss that underscores Philipose’s disorientation. He travels to Tambaram and registers at Madras Christian College, where upperclassmen warn of the looming ragging.

At Saint Thomas Hall, seniors enforce humiliating rituals: freshers shave mustaches and sideburns and learn the crude “freshie salute.” Philipose runs errands, shaves senior Richard Baptist D’Lima III, and endures D’Lima’s crude banter and invitation to a brothel, which Philipose awkwardly rebuffs, heightening his sense of being out of place and inexperienced.

In classes, the problem clarifies: Philipose consistently misses what lecturers say, especially when they look down or away. A. J. Gopal calls the roll and publicly exposes Philipose’s failure to respond, marking him in front of peers. In “Introduction to Poetry,” Philipose hears K. F. Kurian only when Kurian faces him, revealing direction-dependent hearing that undermines note-taking and comprehension.

Summoned by Principal Brattlestone—the same man from the station—Philipose is asked directly about his hearing. After denying difficulty, he admits he did not hear Brattlestone’s test question. Brattlestone names it “deafness” and warns that it may preclude continuing at MCC, referring him to the college doctor and a specialist. Philipose recoils at the label, recognizing it as a threat to his identity and his literary ambitions.