At the next group meeting, Ratched, feeling she now has the upper hand, tells the group that they will be punished for their rebellious behavior from three weeks ago. Telling them that the punishment is for their own good, she has decided to deny the use of the tub room for card playing. Thinking this is her final victory, Ratched is surprised when McMurphy rises from his chair. Chief writes that McMurphy regains his loggerman’s stature as he approaches her. He stops before reaching her, however, and forces his hand through the glass of the nurses’ station to retrieve his cigarettes, telling Ratched that the glass was so clean, he didn’t know it was there. His return to true form stops the ringing in Chief’s ears.
