The Institute

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7, Chapters 1-28

Part 7, Chapters 29-42

Part 8

Part 9

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Part 6Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 6: “Hell Is Waiting”

Part 6, Chapters 1-7 Summary

Back at the Institute, one of the janitors finds Maureen dead. Before hanging herself, she wrote in lipstick on the wall, “HELL IS WAITING. I’LL BE HERE TO MEET YOU” (288).

Recalling Maureen’s encounter with Luke and Avery, Mrs. Sigsby orders that the children’s locations be checked and is relieved to see all of them accounted for. She returns to her office and reflects on the Institute being her life.

Mrs. Sigsby and Stackhouse deliver Maureen’s body to Back Half for cremation, the atmosphere disorienting. Mrs. Sigsby feels a constant buzz, and bizarre thoughts keep filling her head. The doctors of Back Half exhibit strange mannerisms, nearly insane from the effects of being around the children, especially the ones reduced to mindless drones in Ward A.

Part 6, Chapters 8-18 Summary

Avery asks another child to help fill in Luke’s gap under the fence—but Gladys catches them and calls Stackhouse. Stackhouse and Mrs. Sigsby examine the trench, and eventually find Luke’s tracker, still attached to his earlobe.

Realizing that Maureen likely helped Luke escape, Mrs. Sigsby recalls their conversation—the one where Avery kept pulling his nose—and surmises that a telepathic conversation took place. She has Avery brought to her and tortures him until he tells her that Luke took a boat downriver to Presque Isle. However, Avery withheld the truth: Luke got off the boat before Presque Isle to proceed via railroad switching station.

One of the newer arrivals, Frieda Brown, enjoys her new life and tricks Avery into revealing what actually happened to Luke. She relays this information to Mrs. Sigsby in exchange for tokens and permission to remain in Front Half, as she wishes to eventually become a staffer.

Part 6, Chapters 19-25 Summary

Stackhouse works out that Luke must be on a train—specifically, one passing southern cities like DuPray, South Carolina. The Institute has spies all over the world; Stackhouse charges those in the south with looking for Luke. Furious that Avery lied, Mrs. Sigsby and Stackhouse punish him by dunking him in the tank—despite Doctor Hendricks protesting its danger.

On the train, Luke overhears railroad workers talking about someone looking for his runaway nephew. The train stops in Wilmington, Delaware where Luke is spotted by one of the workers, Mattie. The man sees how battered Luke is and decides not to alert his “uncle.” He gives Luke some food and advises him to get off the train at DuPray because people are more likely to be looking for him in big cities.

When Luke spots a sign for DuPray, he jumps off the train in front of Tim Jamieson. He is also seen by spy Norbert Hollister, who alerts the Institute.

Part 6 Analysis

In an act of penance, Maureen sacrifices herself to protect Luke, committing suicide before the Institute can torture a confession out of her. At the same time, because she still believes the Institute’s efforts protect the world, her betraying the organization also requires penance. Her manner of death mirrors that of the wayward disciple Judas, who hangs himself after betraying Jesus Christ for money.

Mrs. Sigsby’s thoughts regarding her and the staff’s commitment to the Institute exemplify two ways in which the organization functions like a cult. First of all, the Institute’s members believe something that most rational people would reject as nonsense: At the end of the novel, Luke points out that they have no hard evidence to prove that their targets would have caused the end of the world. Secondly, the Institute reinforces its mission by isolating its employees from the outside world. The employees spend most of their time living in Institute housing among others who share their beliefs. The secretive nature of the organization prevents them from discussing its mission with non-believers who might refute them.

Stackhouse proves a strong player in his and Luke’s “game of chess.” He anticipates Luke’s moves via the Institute’s extensive spy network—further proof of its overwhelming power and resources. On the other hand, Mattie, a humble railroad worker, is yet another ordinary person who exercises empathy for empathy’s sake (mirroring Luke and Maureen’s dynamic). While Luke is traveling, someone claiming to be his uncle looks for him—and while it would be understandable for Mattie to believe this person, an adult, over a child, he recognizes Luke as someone who needs help and offers food and advice.

Frieda Brown counters the idea of a mutual enemy (in the adults) binding the children together. Unlike the others, Frieda is motivated neither by love nor a desire for fun. While Luke and his friends can love each other and form a support system, Frieda desires comfort, security, and sufficient food. Seeing an opportunity for personal gain, she collaborates with the children’s abusers and acts as a spy, betraying Avery’s trust and endangering Luke.

However, Frieda miscalculated: The Institute lacks honor and has no reason to see to any bargains made with the children. Once Frieda gives Mrs. Sigsby what she wants, the girl no longer has leverage, no means to prevent herself from being abused once more. Her character demonstrates the error of survival without love. She sees her fellow prisoners suffering yet allies herself with their abusers. In another life, love might have moved her to use her cunning to help instead of harm.