The protagonist is called in to the committee to discuss Clifton’s funeral, and finds that the Brotherhood leaders don’t approve of what he’s done. They insist that he should have waited for directions from them—although he tried to reach them and wasn’t successful—and that the role of the organization is to dictate how the common people feel, not for the people to bring their feelings to the organization. They also downplay the brutality of Clifton’s death and the racial prejudices that led the police officer to shoot him, factors that all contribute to the protagonist‘s growing feeling of alienation from and distrust of Jack and the Brotherhood. Nonetheless, he doesn’t see any choice but to do as they instruct him, which is to keep studying with Brother Hambro. 

Intending to see Brother Hambro right away, the protagonist leaves the Brotherhood headquarters, finding the streets a chaotic turmoil of various groups agitating and holding rallies in response to Clifton’s death. Ras the Exhorter is among them, and he spots the protagonist in the crowd, calling him out in front of the rally-goers for the Brotherhood’s failure to adequately address or avenge Clifton’s shooting.