Opening his morning mail in his Harlem District office, the narrator discovers an unsigned letter, warning him not to "go too fast" and that "this is a white man's world." Distraught, he turns to Brother Tarp, who says not to worry about the letter, reassuring the narrator that he has lots of support. Brother Tarp tells the narrator about his imprisonment for more than 19 years because he dared to say "No" to a white man, and he gives the narrator a link from the chain he was forced to wear as an inmate. Although he doesn't know what to make of Brother Tarp's gift, the narrator is honored by his gesture.
Brother Wrestrum soon enters and, noticing the link of chain on the narrator's desk, recommends that he remove it, so as not to dramatize the racial differences between the black and white members of the Brotherhood. When the narrator objects to his remark, Brother Wrestrum cautions him that there are people in the Brotherhood who are only interested in using the organization for their own gain. Realizing that he has the narrator's attention, Brother Wrestrum informs him that Brother Tod Clifton struck a white man, not realizing that he was part of the Brotherhood. He points out that wearing Brotherhood emblems could prevent such incidents.
