With the help of Ellis Mitter, Schocker finally gets a probationary apprenticeship at an auto repair shop. He is hard-working and well on his way to becoming a "decent person". Richy, on the other hand, is going downhill. He runs away from home because his father has taken up with a new, rather slutty wife, wanders aimlessly through the city, sleeps in laundromats, begs. Schocker also experiences a disappointment: he is refused an apprenticeship after the probationary period has expired. At home he covers up his "failure". Soon after, Richy and Schocker are caught after a failed theft in a jewelry store. Both end up in jail. (Hörzu 40/1979, S. 76)