Heinrich Timeline and Summary

Heinrich tells his dad (Jack) that, according to the radio, it'll rain that night. Jack tells Heinrich that it's already raining. Heinrichargues that the radio said not until that night. The two get into a conversation about language and reality that frustrates Jack. Heinrich refuses to accept a commonsense statement like "it's raining" as being real.
Heinrich stands out on the roof with binoculars to keep an eye on the nearby train yard. The radio says that there has been a chemical spill. His dad doesn't like him standing out on the roof, but doesn't ask him to come inside. Instead, his dad joins him for a while.
Heinrich and his dad talk about whether the cloud will move their way. Heinrich says it might. Jack insists that it won't because toxic disasters only happen to poor people.
After the family has fled from their town, Heinrich gathers a group of evacuees around himself and starts preaching to them about conspiracies and government cover-ups. He seems to be in his element when he's doing this.
Heinrich introduces his dad to his (Heinrich's) idol, a fellow student named Orest Mercator. Heinrich idolizes Orest's dedication to setting the world record for sitting in a room full of poisonous snakes. Jack tells both of the boys they're being stupid, but Heinrich pays him no mind.
When he finds out that Orest's plan to sit with snakes has fallen through, Heinrich shows his fickle side. He calls Orest a "jerk" for failing and looks for something else to put his energy into.