- Sasha's being escorted by Sergei Ivanych (the principal) to... somewhere. But where?
- He tries to tell the principal that Nina Petrovna did not break the statue, and that Finkelstein didn't do it either, but again the principal doesn't seem interested in anything approaching The Truth. People have already confessed or have been duly accused, so he seems pretty satisfied, thank you so much.
- Sasha tells him that Finkelstein confessed so that he could see his parents in the prison. And then the principal gives him a hard truth: Four-Eyes's parents have been executed.
- Sasha gets the shivers and his teeth chatter (ours, too, for that matter). Things aren't really looking up for Sasha's own dad at this point. Not one bit.
- The principal pulls Sasha down the stairs into the basement.