The narrator returns to Harlem and encounters Ras addressing a crowd that has gathered there to hear him speak against the Brotherhood. Ras sees the narrator, and the two argue briefly. As the narrator walks away, two of Ras’s men follow and attack him, but a doorman at a movie theater intervenes on his behalf.
As the narrator waits for a cab, three men wearing dark glasses stand near him on the curb, whom he immediately identifies as Ras’s men. Instead of running, the narrator buys himself a pair of dark glasses. From then on, he is mistaken for someone named Rinehart, especially when he adds a wide-brimmed hat to his disguise. Even Brother Maceo and Barrelhouse, the bartender, mistake him for Rinehart at the Jolly Dollar. The narrator marvels at how a hat and dark glasses enable him to hide in plain sight. He also decides to exploit his newfound invisibility.
Remembering his appointment with Brother Hambro, the narrator heads for Manhattan. When he expresses his concern about Ras and his men gaining more control in Harlem, Brother Hambro informs him that there is nothing the Brotherhood can do, as they have decided that the people of the Harlem community must be sacrificed. The narrator protests, pointing out that the Brotherhood has promised to stand by the people of Harlem. But Brother Hambro simply explains that the Brotherhood’s plans have changed, that black people need to be “brought along more slowly,” and that they cannot be allowed to upset “the master plan.” Outraged by Brother Hambro’s revelation, the narrator heads back to Harlem.
Walking the streets, the narrator realizes that he has been part of a sellout: He promised his people support, only to betray them. Recognizing that there is no escape from his predicament, he decides to use the Brotherhood’s own methods against itself. Remembering his grandfather’s words, he decides to “agree them [the members of the Brotherhood] to death and destruction.” Wondering what Rinehart would do in his situation, he decides to use a woman. Recalling that Emma was once attracted to him, the narrator decides to use her to get information about the Brotherhood’s new plans.
