Stanley arrives at Camp Green Lake and meets one of the leaders, who tells Stanley to call him “Mr. Sir” (13). Stanley gets two sets of clothes, one for work and one for relaxing, along with shoes, a hat, a canteen for water, and a pair of socks. Mr. Sir tells him that Stanley’s job is to dig a hole every day using his shovel and to measure that it is five feet wide and five feet deep. Mr. Sir also tells Stanley there is nowhere to run because their only water supply is at camp.

After meeting with Mr. Sir, Stanley meets his counselor Mr. Pendanski. Mr. Pendanski tells Stanley not to worry about Mr. Sir, but to worry about the Warden instead: “There’s really only one rule at Camp Green Lake: Don’t upset the Warden” (16). Stanley meets some of the other boys, all of whom have self-imposed nicknames: Squid, X-Ray, Armpit, Magnet, Zigzag, and Zero. They all call Mr. Pendanski “Mom.” When Stanley uses one boy’s real name, the boy knocks Stanley to the ground and demands Stanley call him “Armpit.”