After his close call with the authorities, Ivan hurries to the package room to see if he can do Caesar Markovich a worthwhile favor by standing in line for him. As he waits, he remembers that in the Ust-Izhma camp, he received packages a couple of times. Since not much was left by the time the parcels reached him (many of the contents of these packages disappear when they are opened for "inspection"), Ivan has since instructed his wife not to send him any more parcels, particularly since he knows that his family back home has nothing to spare. Still, he sometimes hopes that a package will arrive for him unexpectedly. During his wait, he also finds out that the authorities will make the prisoners work on Sunday of next week, news which depresses Ivan, although he had expected it.
When Caesar finally arrives, he virtually disregards Ivan and begins a conversation about Moscow art events with another prison intellectual who is waiting for a package. They use a language which sounds foreign to Ivan, who has nothing but contempt for Moscow intellectuals. He suppresses his dislike for Caesar's intellectual snobbery and asks him if he can bring him his supper, but Caesar, as Ivan had hoped, lets him have his portion as a reward for waiting in line.
