Emil’s sickness persists throughout the beginning of 1945. He questions why his family must suffer. He continues to dream about meeting Major Haussmann in Dubossary in 1941. Emil initially refused to shoot the young Jewish man and girls, but Major Haussmann threatened to kill him as well. Not wanting to abandon his family, Emil agreed to shoot them. At that moment, the narrator says, Emil lost all “belief in a benevolent God” (232).

When Emil wakes up, Adeline tells him about running into Esther in Lodz, claiming that God answered her prayers for help. Emil chooses to believe it is simply a coincidence. The Martels are able to buy food and coal on the black market, allowing everyone to recover from their illnesses. Emil walks by Wahl’s house daily but notices that Wahl has not returned. Emil breaks into Wahl’s house and turns on the shortwave radio. He learns that the Allies won the Battle of the Ardennes Forest and the Battle of the Bulge, while the Soviets reconquered Warsaw. Emil runs into Nikolas on his way home; Nikolas accuses Emil of stealing food from Wahl’s house. At home, Adeline informs Emil that they are being moved closer to Germany the next day.