At the undertaker's, Oliver persists in his defiance, even after Bumble tries to reason with him through the keyhole. Bumble theorizes that Oliver's fury is the result of feeding him meat. The members of the board, "who are practical philosophers," have prescribed gruel. So Bumble counsels an interval of starvation to restore Oliver to normal.
As negotiations have reached this point, Sowerberry returns. If for no other reason, fear of his spouse dictates the undertaker's course of action. So he drags the battered child out and beats him so unmercifully that Bumble's contribution is waived. Oliver is then shut up until Mrs. Sowerberry orders him to his bed among the coffins.
Not until he is alone does Oliver give way to tears. For a while, he gazes into the cold, still night. Then he wraps up his few articles of clothing and sits down to wait for morning. As soon as it begins to get light, he opens the door and walks away from the scenes of his troubles.
The boy follows a path that takes him past the establishment where he had been kept before being committed to the workhouse. The only inmate to be seen is Dick, a child younger than Oliver, who had been his special companion in misery. The two friends exchange an affectionate farewell.
