Stay with F. Alexander
After his release from Staja (State Jail) Number 84F and the Ludovico Technique conditioning, Alex finds himself utterly alone. Beaten by the police, rejected by his parents who have taken in a lodger named Joe, and with nowhere to go, he wanders through the winter night, soaked by icy rain and in great pain. His desperate wandering brings him, almost by instinct, back to a cottage he recognizes from a night of violence two years earlier: HOME. The writer F. Alexander, whose wife Alex and his droogs had raped and beaten during that earlier home invasion, takes the bedraggled, bruised boy in, offering him warmth, food, and shelter. This act of charity, however, is not born of simple kindness but is the beginning of a calculated political exploitation, as F. Alexander sees in Alex a perfect weapon against the government that created him.
Arrival and Hospitality at HOME
Alex, having been beaten by his former droog Dim and his old enemy Billyboy—now both police officers—is left for dead on a country road. He walks through the dark, following the sound of a farm machine, and arrives at a village. At the end of the village, he finds a small cottage with the name HOME shining on its gate. He knocks, and when the door opens, a man with glasses, a shortish man in middle age, sees his pitiful state and immediately invites him in, saying, "God help you, you poor victim, come in and let's have a look at you." The man, F. Alexander, gives him whisky and warm water, cleans his wounds, draws him a hot bath, and provides him with warm pyjamas, an over-gown, and slippers. He then serves a large supper of fried eggs, ham, sausages, and sweet milky tea. Alex, who had been starving and cold, feels overwhelmed by this kindness, and he weeps. F. Alexander, however, is not merely a Good Samaritan; he recognizes Alex from the morning's newspaper, identifying him as the first graduate of the new State Institute for Reclamation of Criminal Types. He sees Alex not just as a victim of the streets, but as a "poor victim of this horrible new technique," sent to him by Providence.
The Writer's Grief and Political Agenda
As Alex eats, F. Alexander reveals the source of his own deep pain. He tells Alex that his wife died after being "brutally raped and beaten" in that very house, in the room next door. He has had to steel himself to continue living there, where her memory lingers. This revelation triggers a wave of sickness in Alex, who now realizes the full horror of his own past actions. F. Alexander, however, quickly pivots from personal grief to political fury. He explains that the government's new technique has turned Alex into "something other than a human being," a "little machine capable only of good," stripped of the power of choice. He declares that the government has "bit off too much" and that the essential intention is "the real sin." He sees Alex as a "potent weapon" to dislodge the overbearing government in the upcoming election, a living witness to its diabolical proposals. He has already written an article for The Weekly Trumpet under Alex's name, detailing his suffering and calling on the people to reject the government.
The Political Circle and Alex's Imprisonment
The next morning, F. Alexander's political associates arrive: Z. Dolin, a wheezy, fat man with thick glasses; Something Something Rubinstein, a tall, polite man with an eggy beard; and D. B. da Silva, a quick-moving man with a strong scent. They are overjoyed to see Alex, with Z. Dolin calling him a "superb device" and suggesting he could look even more ill for the cause. They plan to exhibit him at public meetings to inflame public hearts. Alex, feeling used and desperate, demands to know what he will get out of it, specifically asking to be restored to his normal self, able to enjoy music and violence without sickness. The men dismiss his concerns, with Rubinstein promising a "very acceptable little surprise" at the end. F. Alexander, meanwhile, becomes increasingly agitated, muttering the name "Dim" and staring at Alex with a mad look, as if he is beginning to piece together the identity of the boy who destroyed his life. Alex, sensing the danger, tries to leave, but Z. Dolin insists he stay, saying, "We have you, friend, and we keep you." They take him to a small flat in a flatblock, lock him in, and leave him alone.
The Torture of Music and the Suicide Attempt
Left alone in the flat, Alex lies down, bewildered and exhausted. He is suddenly jolted awake by loud music coming through the wall: the Symphony Number Three of Otto Skadelig, a violent piece he once loved. The conditioning immediately takes hold, and he is overwhelmed by the familiar sickness, pain, and thirst. He bangs on the wall, screaming for them to stop, but the music only grows louder. He tries to stick his fingers in his ears, but the sound blasts through. Realizing the door is locked from the outside, he understands this is a deliberate torture. In his agony, he sees a pamphlet on the table with the word "DEATH" on its cover, and another with a picture of an open window and the slogan "Open the window to fresh air, fresh ideas, a new way of living." He sees this as a sign. He climbs onto the windowsill, cries out, "Good-bye, good-bye, may Bog forgive you for a ruined life," and jumps. He does not die, but crashes onto the sidewalk, breaking his back, wrists, and legs, and losing consciousness. Just before passing out, he realizes that the music was arranged by his supposed new droogs for their own selfish political ends.
