After spending the summer as a hobo, Jurgis returns to Chicago in the fall. He finds work digging tunnels for telephone lines; in actuality, he is digging tunnels for freight trains. Jurgis breaks his arm after only a few weeks on the job and must spend two weeks in the hospital. After he is released from the hospital, Jurgis once again is out on the street in the middle of winter with no means of survival. When his money runs out, he is forced to become a beggar, but he does not do well.
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