In which Jurgis obtains his first job at the slaughterhouse, and his family, stirred by newfound hope and labouring ventures, contemplates the weighty prospect of owning a home amidst the labyrinth of contracts and the shadow of uncertainty. Their tentative purchase, fraught with suspicion and confusion, reveals the complexity and perils faced by honest folk endeavouring to carve out a place for themselves in this new and daunting land.