Chapter+14

Jurgis has learned all of the secrets of the meat industry, including the fact that diseased meats are still sold, and that spoiled meats become sausage. This shows the huge amount of dishonesty in the industry. The family members begin to keep to themselves as they become more and more miserable. Ona and Jurgis begin to drift apart, and Jurgis gets into drinking; he always has a huge desire to drink, but he does stay away from becoming an alcoholic. Antanas is constantly sick, and he is extremely underfed. Ona gets sick while she is pregnant again, and she breaks out into tears often.
 * Brief summary:**

Jurgis, Ona, Antanas
 * Characters:**

"For it was custom..... chop it up into sausage" (141). "This is no fairy tale.... poisoned a rat was a tidbit" (143). "They were beaten.... bills and rents" (144). "He was the child of his parents' youth and joy.... demand for more" (147-148). "So she would lie... target of unseen enemies" (148).
 * passages:**