In this chapter the point of view shifts to Homer. At the beginning of the narration, the information about Homer, his origins and his arrival in California, seems to have been relayed to Tod by Homer, but as the chapter reveals how Homer rented his cottage and describes the cottage in detail and its surroundings, the narrative voice combines an inside view of Homer's feelings with an analysis of his motives. Thus the chapter provides a link forward to a more extensive history of Homer, and an explanation for his timidity. He has been bullied by a real-estate agent into taking only the second house he looked at, and he is quick to acquiesce to his illusions about it, a process he will follow more intensively in his relationship with Faye. His cottage and its surroundings are typical Hollywood sham and bad taste, but there is no sign that Homer is aware of the artificiality. The chapter also introduces the lizard in Homer's garden, which will later function symbolically.