Chapters 20-22

Faye is a motherly type madam, well loved by her girls and a generous contributor to local charities.  Kate becomes so indispensable to the older woman that she begins to refer to Kate as her "daughter" and in a private party informs her she is going to leave everything to her. To celebrate, she orders Kate to drink champagne and, as she did once before when Mr. Edwards forced her to drink. Kate loses control and informs Faye that she has been carrying out lucrative sadomasochistic sexual adventures with clients behind  Faye's back. However, in an effort to regain her favored position after she becomes sober, Kate convinces Faye she had a bad dream and keeps her in a drugged fog.

Kate takes complete control of the brothel and collects a cache of drugs to poison Faye. She appears to be so crestfallen when Faye dies, her complete devotion remains unquestioned.

Adam spirals into depression and Lee informs Samuel that he has yet to name the babies, whom he views as symbols of his loss. Samuel finds Adam sunken into despair and unable to reach him with words, and hits him to jolt him out of his melancholy.

Lee, by now openly speaking proper English, joins them and while the babies sleep in the warm dust, they look in the Bible and after reading it discuss the story of Cain and Abel. A philosophical discussion follows on the ongoing human cycle of rejection, revenge and consequent guilt.  They quickly settle on the names Caleb and Aron.  One of the children cries at the mention of Caleb, the other at Aron, as if responding to their appropriate names.

Analysis

Central to this section is the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Samuel initially suggests naming the children Cain and Abel, but Adam shivers in response.  As the three men discuss the universality of the tale, Adam argues that he never killed his brother, and then he pauses, we can assume, as he recollects and perhaps dismisses, the time when his brother Charles almost killed him in anger when he was rejected by their father Cyrus.