Chapter+17

In this chapter, Jurgis is already in jail. It is apparent that he went to jail because he attacked his boss for treating Ona unappropriately. While he is in jail, waiting to be tried, he does not see any of his family members, and he begins to worry. He meets a "cracksman," Jack Duane, and Jurgis is introduced to much of the prisoners in the jail. Because they have nothing else to do, Jack tells him all about his life, while Jurgis does the same, except he does not mention the "one unmentionable thing." When he listens to the prisoners around him, he sees that they are theives because all of the bosses are theives. When Jurgis is tried, he sees Teta Elzbieta and Kotrina, but he finds out that he has to stay in prison for an additional month and other costs. After the first third of his time, he finally gets to talk to Stanislovas, who tells him that everything that can go wrong //is// going wrong. Ona is sick, her and Stanislovas do not have jobs, Kotrina is forced to work, Marija had cut her hand badly and might have to have it amputated, they cannot afford to pay the rent, and to top it all off, they are all starving. When Stanislovas asks Jurgis for help, he only gives him fourteen cents, which is as much as he could do for now.
 * Brief description of the plot:**

Jurgis, Jack Duane, Stanislovas, Connor, the Judge
 * Characters in the Chapter:**

"At one side of the court was a place for visitors...but there came no one to see him." (171) "He spoke like a man of education, like what the world calls a 'gentleman.'" (173) "Naturally, the aspect of prison life was changed for... the first educated man with whom he had ever talked." (173) "This wasn't a world in which...and give up the fight and shift for himself." (174) "This jail was a Noah's ark of the...they were hideous to look upon, sickening to talk to." (175) "He was ignorant and they were wise...and wallowing in its own corruption." (175) "Into this wild-beast tangle these men...and theives of millions of dollars." (175) "So little Stanislovas went on, sobbing...that his brain is on fire--" (181)
 * Notable passages (including page number):**