Malachy reappears again before Christmas, albeit a day later than expected, and brings a box of chocolates along. He tells Angela that he has to go see someone, and Angela tells him not to get drunk, which he does anyway. The next day, Malachy announces that he is returning to England; when asked about his wages, he claims that times are hard. None of the family buys the excuse, and they all accuse him of drinking away the wages.

Angela has a habit of bringing strangers who are down on their luck to her home for tea and a place to stay. Because of this, the family now has an infestation of lice. Meanwhile, Frank has been spending time outside the home of his grandmother’s neighbor, Mrs. Purcell, listening to the BBC on the radio. Mrs. Purcell realizes that Frank likes listening to Shakespeare performances and invites him in to listen to Macbeth.

The family’s situation becomes increasingly desperate. They are behind on the rent and start pulling at the boards that form the wall between two rooms so that they can have fire. They burn all the wood from the wall, and one day Frank chops at the beams. The landlord discovers what has happened and evicts the family from the premises.