Chapter 8 addresses some of the immediate aftereffects of Hassan's attack. Although Hassan is still completing his daily chores, Amir barely sees him. When Ali questions Amir, Amir lies to him, asking, "how should I know what's wrong with him?" Amir asks his father to go to Jalalabad, and when Baba mentions inviting Hassan along, Amir lies to Baba about Hassan's health. Instead of traveling with just his father, as Amir envisioned, Baba invites another two dozen people. During the van ride to Jalalabad, while everyone is talking about the kite tournament, Amir notices that Rahim Khan is strangely silent. Soon, Amir is getting carsick. When they arrive in Jalalabad, Amir realizes that although he has what he thought he always wanted, he feels empty. That night, unable to sleep, Amir states, "I watched Hassan get raped," yet no one hears him, and it is the beginning of his insomnia. Amir realizes that he himself was the monster of Hassan's dream.
Hassan and Amir finally speak to one another, but it is an uneasy conversation. In an attempt to recapture what has been lost, Hassan asks to hike up the hill. After walking up the hill in silence, Amir and Hassan sit under the pomegranate tree where Amir had carved their names in the trunk. Overcome with guilt, Amir needs to return home immediately.
Hassan keeps trying to mend the distance between Amir and himself, and Amir refuses. Soon their worlds only tangentially intersect. One time, Amir casually asks Baba about replacing Ali and Hassan, and Baba explodes, initially mentioning how long he has lived with Ali, but ending by emphasizing that Hassan is not going anywhere because "this is his home and we're his family."
