OR post #4

In the beginning of the section that I read, Ren and his companions are leaving the town of North Umbrage and were proceeding to the hospital to start a new collection of revenue. They had gotten a tip earlier in the book that a certain doctor was looking for newly deceased bodies to research, and would pay well for the job. It would not be an easy task, though, filled with all kinds of dangers. The three of them proceeded to go to the hospital, where Ren was supposed to be the connection between the two thieves and the greedy doctor. While inside, he got a little taste of this doctor's character, which was an interesting one to say the least.  A row of portraits hung in one of the hallways leading to the operating room, and Tinti describes what Ren infers as, "The man in the portrait was touching his chin, posed in the middle of some illuminating thought. Ren tried to imagine what this thought could be. He guessed that it was scientific in nature, but the more Ren studied the portrait, the more he realized that the man didn't look intelligent at all. He looked hungry. He was probably thinking of sausages, and Ren was nearly decided on this when a scream came from down the hall" (Tinti 130). It is obvious why this man may want corpses to explore, this quote gives a hint as to how this doctor might be obsessed with human anatomy to the point that he does not care about the moral implications of his actions. 

When Dr. Milton sees Ren's arm (or lack of one), he notices that the person who amputated it knew what they were doing because they blocked the arteries while they were cutting it off. He then proceeded to ask Ren if he could take a "sample" of scar tissue from his wound, which Ren reluctantly agreed to. After taking a thin slice of skin off of Ren's stump, Dr. Milton told him how scar tissue was different from normal skin because normal skin interlocks in fine, tiny, scales, while scar tissue is more rugged and lacks hair follicles and glands. Ren feigns interest and finally is asked to leave, but to come back every week at 10 so their meetings seem less suspicious. As he is about to leave the building, a nun who he met earlier sees him and approaches him. She engages in conversation with Ren, and asks him if he is a Christian. He replies yes, and she agrees to pray for him, while interlocking him in a warm embrace. Tinti describes Ren's feelings afterwords as, "The nun rested her palm on the top of his head. Her hand was warm and soft but also strong, and Ren could imagine all the good work it had done... Sister Agnes was standing over him, and he did not want to move until she tok her hand away" (Tinti 136). This quote exemplifies the strong need Ren still has for a loving, religious figure in his life even when he is accustomed to the company of thieves.