Tony escorted Luke out of Room B-31, telling Gladys that Luke had done fine. Gladys maintained a bright, hostess-like demeanor as she led Luke through the industrial hallway back to his room, while Luke nursed pain in his ear from the implant and recalled Tony’s slap.

At the door, Gladys shifted from friendly to controlling, gripping Luke’s shoulder with quiet force. She denied him tokens without consulting Tony, citing the mark on his cheek as evidence of misconduct. Luke stayed silent, afraid his voice would betray his emotions.

Gladys then advised Luke to “serve,” pressing that unpleasant things would happen regardless and that compliance would at least earn tokens. She promised he would be home before summer’s end and that this would seem like a dream, suggesting he should try to make his stay pleasant.

Before leaving, Gladys told Luke to rest and asked if he had seen “the dots,” implying he soon would. She closed the door gently, leaving him alone.

Luke lay on the bed in the room that mimicked his own, fixating on the lack of a window and the absence of the mentioned dots. Overwhelmed with longing for his mother, he began to cry openly, indifferent to whether he was being observed. He eventually cried himself to sleep.