Claude continues to feel drawn to Enid, and he begins to converse with her more regularly. He learns that she is deeply religious and somewhat eccentric. A dedicated Prohibitionist, she practices an austere lifestyle that includes vegetarianism. She longs to move to China and join her sister Carrie, who works there as a missionary. He also learns, much to his dismay, that Enid has a longstanding admiration for Brother Weldon. When Claude mentions his friendship with Ernest Havel, Enid disapproves because Ernest is an atheist.

One afternoon, Claude’s mules, startled by the sound of a nearby motor truck, drag Claude into a barbed wire fence. He is badly injured, and his facial lacerations become deeply infected. His infections worsen because he attempts to go back to work too soon and becomes overheated. The painful injuries force him to stay in bed all day with bandages over his head. During his long hours of inactivity, Claude feels plagued by a profound sense of meaningless and a lack of belonging.

Enid regularly comes to visit Claude while he recovers. In his state of loneliness and his terror of meaninglessness, Claude begins to cleave to Enid for a sense of purpose.