"The culture in the village" - Thodoria , the wife of Uncle Stelios, the plasterer, has already lost two children, and all hopes are now pinned on her last son, Lefteris. On New Year's Eve, the fateful night when the son was burning up with fever, she sends her husband into a snowstorm to fetch the doctor. It is almost certain that the outcome will be tragic. Furthermore, the confession of the doctor's maid to Uncle Stelios, "Look, make sure no businesses are open on the square, that nobody is gambling," was a clear sign of trouble. In Thanasis Morayiou's tavern, the doctor, who was sitting with the sub-prefect and the court clerk, didn't seem eager at all to accompany Uncle Stelios, saying, "Don't you see it's snowing? How will we get there?" Meanwhile, the clerk, who was currently winning at cards, took action: "His mustache, as he saw Uncle Stelios, moved up and down like a cat smelling a mouse. He grabbed him by the elbow with his strong hand and put him next to him, with the kind of friendly force that some people like to use with the weaker character, he made him sit down next to him." After offering him wine, he encouraged him to play "to pass the time." Uncle Stelios begged the doctor to go to his home, but the doctor refused until the snow stopped, and the clerk kept giving him wine and winning the few drachmas he had. When Giorgis the Sefertzi's, sent by Thodoria, entered the tavern around three in the morning, he found Uncle Stelios, "who was dizzy from the muscat, smiling foolishly at the clerk." For Lefteris's funeral, Uncle Stelios gave everything he had and even the fine silk clothes of Thodoria to Argyros, the moneylender.