On Earth, Rumfoord's revised Bible becomes a best-seller, as does a children's book detailing Unk and Boaz's adventures on Mercury. On Mars, Boaz and Unk communicate with the harmoniums. Every 14 days, they receive "a new message of hope or veiled derision" (96). In fact, they are communicating with Rumfoord, who is secretly arranging the harmoniums to spell out optimistic messages.

After three years, Unk notices Kazak's footprint on the cave floor. By this time, however, his relationship with Boaz has broken down and they move "in very different circles" (97). Unk once attacked Boaz, prompted by Boaz praising a normal-seeming harmonium as "a cute little feller" (97). Without telling Boaz, Unk follows Kazak's tracks through the cave. Boaz remains behind. He is now completely devoted to the harmoniums and he has "never felt better" (98). He believes that Unk has lost his mind, partially because he shows so little appreciation for the marvelous creatures. Neither man wants to hear the truth from the other: Boaz does not want to hear that the harmoniums are simply uninteresting and Unk does not want to hear that he killed Stony Stevenson. Boaz creates an arrangement based on the idea of "don't truth me […] and I won't truth you" (99).