The narrator leaves Holly's apartment, collects the birdcage from his rooms, and then places it outside her apartment. The next day, the birdcage is sat beside the road, "waiting for the garbage collector" (56). The narrator collects the birdcage as he cannot bear to see it thrown away.

A considerable amount of time passes before the narrator talks to Holly again. Despite their falling out, he refuses to sign his name to a petition calling for Holly to be evicted from the apartment building. A neighbor has declared that Holly is "morally objectionable" (56) and that her parties are disruptive. The narrator ignores these claims.

In spring, he begins to see a "very provocative man" (57) lurking in and around the building. The narrator wonders whether the man is a police officer or associated with Sally Tomato. One evening, the man follows the narrator to a diner. While walking, the man whistles one of the tunes that Holly plays on her guitar. The narrator confronts the man, who asks the narrator for "a friend" (58). He introduces himself as Doc Golightly and shows the narrator pictures of Holly as a child, as well as Holly's brother, Fred.