Mr. Galanter, the coach of Reuven’s softball team, takes Reuven to Brooklyn Memorial Hospital, where Reuven has surgery to remove glass from his left eye. The next morning, Reuven introduces himself to the man in the bed on his left, Mr. Savo, a boxer, and the youngster in the bed on his right, Billy, who was blinded in a car accident.
Reuven’s father, Mr. Malter, visits Reuven in the hospital and tells him that he will recover completely from the accident. He also says that Danny’s father, Reb Saunders, has called him to ask about Reuven’s condition. According to Reb Saunders, Danny is very upset about the accident. But Reuven believes that Danny deliberately set out to hit him. Reuven’s father disagrees with his son’s analysis of the situation and asks him not to speak this way about Danny.
Reuven goes to sleep. When he wakes up, Danny Saunders is standing at his bedside. Danny tells Reuven that he is truly sorry about the accident, but Reuven verbally attacks him. Danny tries to convince Reuven that he is sorry, but to no avail. Finally, he leaves.
When Danny returns the next day, Reuven is surprised at himself because he is happy to see Danny. The boys talk and begin to accept each other, discussing their career aspirations. Danny says that he will become a rabbi and succeed his father as leader of his group of Orthodox Hasidim in the accepted way—the son becomes tzaddik after the father. If he weren’t required to become the tzaddik for his sect, Danny would become a psychologist. Reuven says that he may become a rabbi, but his father would like him to become a mathematician.
The next day, Danny tells Reuven about the books he reads unbeknownst to his father, who is very strict about what Danny reads. Danny reads so much because he gets bored studying only Talmud. He says that he met a man at the library who has been advising him on what to read (Danny later learns that the man is Mr. Malter, Reuven’s father). Reuven observes that Danny looks like a Hasid but doesn’t talk like one. Danny admits that, because of his secular interests, he is in a difficult position, but he also says that somehow he will work out the situation. Yet to Reuven, he seems sad.
Friday comes, and the doctor removes the bandage from Reuven’s left eye and finds that his eye seems to be healing properly. Mr. Malter and Reuven leave the hospital.
