Gregor is wounded for a month, with the apple remaining lodged in his back. The incident, however, reveals to Mr. Samsa Gregor's lasting presence as a family member, whom "one should not treat as the enemy" (34). Gregor remains on the floor, unable to crawl the walls but is made somewhat happier that his family now keeps his bedroom door open for a few evening hours so that he can watch and listen to them. 

The family's interaction is not "the animated social interaction of former times" (34). Now, Mr. Samsa, exhausted from his job at the bank, falls asleep in his armchair, still in his uniform each night. Mrs. Samsa works on sewing "fine undergarments" (34) for a shop, and Grete works as a salesgirl during the day, studying French and stenography in the evening so that she might get a better job. Mr. Samsa refuses to move into bed and only does so when Mrs. Samsa and Grete pull him up by the armpits. 

Gregor also notices their household "getting constantly smaller" (35). They've let go of their kitchen maid and replaced her with "a huge bony cleaning woman" (35) who does the heavier cleaning work.