Chapter 16 begins on another low note. On the day of his birthday, Mark has finished the draft of his novel, but to a negative reception from his editor. His students and the staff offer their support, but he is nevertheless disappointed. Since Jimmy returns from isolation, he has been medicated; Mark is unsure what to do. Jimmy's sentencing is soon; he is not optimistic about his fate. However, he is defiant, describing his life inside in an adversarial tone:

‘I get sentenced next Wednesday, and they'll bring me straight from court to the Box.’ He practically spat. ‘If I was gonna kill myself, I would've done it a long time ago. Sending you to the Box is just one more way of breaking you down’ (181).

Mark is torn: he sees that Jimmy is in pain and wants to console him, but knows that his role has boundaries and responsibilities, which make this kind of special focus problematic. He chooses to focus on the class as a whole, without singling Jimmy out. During the same session, Benny and Patrick read their work, both showing increased confidence and trust among the members of the writing class. At the end of the session, Jimmy says goodbye to Mark.