In the aftermath of the fight, David worries that his connection with the Beast makes him responsible for villagers who died fighting it, and he feels his own imagination somehow created the Beast. To thank David for his bravery, Fletcher gives him one of the Beast’s black claws and tells him that if he ever feels afraid, he should hold the claw and remember his courage defeating the Beast. When David and Roland get back on the road, they again encounter danger. The Crooked Man pulls David underground and tells him that Roland looks at David in the night and thinks he’s beautiful. The Crooked Man tells David he will help him return home if David will tell him the name of his half-brother. As David considers his proposition and is about to speak Georgie’s name, Roland pulls him back up to the road. Questioning Roland’s friendship because of the Crooked Man’s words, David recoils at Roland’s touch and cries.

Tension forms between David and Roland because of the Crooked Man’s words, and although David regrets recoiling at Roland’s touch of comfort, he does not offer an apology.