Content Warning: This section of the guide contains depictions of alcohol misuse and suicidal ideation.

Emil Sinclair, the book’s protagonist and narrator, begins his narrative when he is 10 years old. He explains that he views the world within a dichotomy of light and darkness, or good and evil. Having grown up in a religious household, he views his childhood home as a beacon of light and sainthood through his parents and sisters. He sees Christianity as a way “to keep this world […] clear and pure, beautiful and harmonious” (3). However, as a child, Sinclair desires to explore the world outside of his home, which appears mysterious and alluring despite its darkness. He wonders how these opposing worlds can exist closely to each other.

Sinclair’s introduction to life outside of his religious home begins when he lies to a young boy in his neighborhood named Franz Kromer. To impress Kromer and the other boys around them, Sinclair lies, telling Kromer that he stole apples from a nearby orchard. Kromer claims that he knows about the stolen apples and tells Sinclair that the orchard owner is offering a reward of two marks to anyone who turns in the thief.