The chapter opens on a warm spring afternoon in the seminary garden, where Liudas Vasaris and a few first‑year seminarians sit on a bench enjoying the sun. Their conversation drifts to the upcoming Easter break and the comical candle‑extinguishing mishap of the acolyte Balselis, who, because of his weak eyesight, repeatedly misses the candle holder and jokes that acolytes will no longer need to light candles. The dialogue turns tense when Jonas Variokas, a fellow seminarian who entered the seminary from the same high school as Vasaris, invites Vasaris for a walk to “say something important.” During the walk they exchange personal histories: Variokas recounts his poor school performance, his reputation as a “big bully,” and how his admission surprised their acquaintances. He then probes Vasaris about his reasons for joining the seminary. Vasaris gives a vague answer about serving society but soon admits, in a half‑joking tone, that he sees the priesthood as a career ladder: becoming a vicar, then dean, then capitular, and finally a private man free of clerical constraints. Variokas reacts with sarcasm and criticism, calling such careerism “comedy” and warning that true priests either deceive themselves or are rare “stubborn camels.” He challenges Vasaris on his lack of real experience of priestly life, noting that Vasaris has never served in a parish or celebrated sacraments. The conversation shifts to a bleak forecast of the future of their cohort: Variokas predicts that only a minority will become genuinely good priests, while many will become drunkards, gamblers, or mediocre parish caretakers. Vasaris feels a chill of fear at these predictions. Variokas then explains the seminary’s rule that forbids close friendships, especially walking in pairs, and describes how senior seminarians monitor such behavior. Later, the two men examine a large illustrated painting titled “Branka w jasyrze” (“Slave in Chains”), depicting a naked, rope‑bound young woman. Variokas teases Vasaris about the erotic appeal of the image; Vasaris feels both curiosity and shame. He later confesses to the spiritual father that he has looked at indecent pictures, which the father rebukes as dangerous. The chapter ends with Vasaris reflecting on the overall lack of genuine piety among his peers—only a handful of the twenty seminarians seem truly devout—and how this realization, combined with Variokas’s harsh words, forces him to confront his own doubts about the priesthood.