The chapter opens by outlining the Law of Noncontradiction and the Law of the Excluded Middle, then notes how classical logic falters with human relationships. It proposes the statement S: Peter and Alice are friends, and suggests classical logic cannot neatly classify its truth.

A flashback to Michaelmas Term at Cambridge follows. At a departmental tea, Alice feels out of place among polished cohortmates, including Belinda Wilcox, Michele, Calvin, and an unnamed Frenchman. Conversation idolizes Peter Murdoch’s precocity and his connection to Professor Grimes. Peter arrives, charming and curious; he and Alice arrange to meet for drinks to discuss their projects.

The next day at the Pickerel Inn, Alice waits; Peter never comes. Embarrassed, she eats alone, leaves in a sudden downpour, and resolves not to wait for him again if he is late.

Across their first year, Peter proves habitually late or absent without explanation, yet consistently brilliant, focused, and kind when present. Rumors of addiction lack evidence. Belinda sums him up as “the nicest guy in the world” who holds people at arm’s length.

Over two years, Alice and Peter achieve an easy, productive lab partnership, with late-night camaraderie and shared laughter. Still, Peter’s attention is intermittent; he withdraws without clear cause. Alice stops searching for reasons, accepts coexistence, and recognizes that while they can work well together, calling it friendship remains a claim she cannot justify.