Conversation with Hans Brunswick

K.'s conversation with Hans Brunswick unfolds in the school gymnasium, where K. and Frieda have been left alone after the teacher's dismissal of the assistants. The boy, who had earlier tried to speak to K. and was moved by the bleeding scratch inflicted on K.'s hand by Miss Gisa, enters like a deserter, risking severe punishment to offer his help. This encounter, which begins as a child's earnest offer of assistance, quickly becomes a complex negotiation that reveals K.'s strategic mind and the boy's own hidden agenda, binding the land surveyor to the Brunswick family in a way that will shape his hopes for the future.

The Boy's Arrival and Character

Hans Brunswick, a boy in Class Four, arrives at the door with a quiet knock that K., expecting Barnabas, eagerly mistakes for the messenger. The disappointment is palpable, but K. soon finds himself drawn into the boy's world. Hans is the son of Otto Brunswick, the master shoemaker who lives in Madeleine Alley, and he has come from the schoolroom next door, having decided to side with K. after witnessing the assistant teacher's cruelty. His manner is striking: he speaks softly, stands very upright with his arms at his sides, and looks at K. with big brown eyes. As the conversation progresses, Hans displays a curious duality, sometimes speaking like a clever, energetic, and farsighted man, and at other times retreating into childish silence, his lower lip thrust out, as if he believes he should be the only one allowed to ask questions. Frieda is particularly charmed by this silent pose, often asking him questions just to see him adopt it, much to K.'s irritation.

The Family and the Mother's Illness

Through Hans, K. learns about the Brunswick family, though the boy is hesitant and must be repeatedly pressed for details. His mother is poorly, though the nature of her ailment is unclear, and she is the woman K. saw at Lasemann's house, lying in the armchair with a baby at her breast. Hans reveals that the child is his sister, also named Frieda, a fact that seems to displease him. The family lives in the village, not with Lasemann, and had only been visiting to use the large bathing tub. Hans speaks of his father with respect or even fear, but only when the conversation does not turn to his mother, who seems to eclipse him entirely. The boy's pride in his father's position as the leading shoemaker in the village, who gives work to other shoemakers such as Barnabas's father, is evident, but it is his mother who dominates his thoughts. When asked if he has ever been to the castle, Hans answers in the negative, and when asked the same about his mother, he does not answer at all.

K.'s Offer and the Secret Plan

K., growing tired of the questioning and sensing the boy's protective instincts, shifts the conversation. He explains that he does not need help with the work, as the teacher's bad temper does not affect him, and he hopes to escape the teacher entirely soon. But he then makes a surprising offer: he claims to have some medical knowledge and experience treating the sick, having been nicknamed 'Bitter Rue' at home for his cures, and offers to visit Hans's mother. This offer initially lights up Hans's eyes, but the boy quickly retreats, explaining that no strangers can visit his mother, as she must be spared any strain. He reveals that his father had been very angry with K. and had wanted to punish him, and that his mother herself never wants to speak to anyone. K. presses the point, arguing that the mother's ailment might be cured by healthier air, even suggesting that she could go up to Castle Mount, but Hans insists that his father would never allow it.

Despite these obstacles, K. and Hans eventually come to an understanding, facilitated by K.'s physical closeness, as he holds the boy between his knees and caresses him. They agree on a plan: Hans will tell his mother the whole truth, adding that K. also wants to speak to Brunswick himself on other business, namely the post of land surveyor. This is a strategic move on K.'s part, as he recollects that Brunswick, according to the village mayor, had been the leader of those who wanted a land surveyor appointed, even if for political reasons of their own. K. dreams of gaining Brunswick's support against the teacher and the village mayor, and of being received as a guest in Brunswick's house. Hans agrees to the plan, though only because it protects his mother from his father, and he asks how K. will explain the late hour of his visit. K. says he will claim that his intolerable position as school janitor and the teacher's humiliating treatment drove him to a sudden fit of despair.

The Boy's Ambition and Farewell

As the conversation concludes, Hans becomes more cheerful, freed from the burden of thought, and chatters in a childish fashion. When Frieda asks what he wants to be when he grows up, he answers without hesitation that he wants to be a man like K. When pressed for reasons, he cannot give any, and firmly denies wanting to be a school janitor. Further questions reveal the workings of his mind: he sees that K.'s present situation is dismal and humiliating, yet he has come to K. for help, believing that K. might triumph over everyone in an almost unimaginably distant future. This future, foolish as it may seem, looks alluring to Hans, and he is ready to accept K. as he now is. K. cheers him up by saying he knows what Hans envies him for—his handsome gnarled walking-stick, which lies on the table—and promises to make him an even better one if their plan succeeds. Hans is so pleased by this promise that it is unclear whether he had indeed had the walking-stick in mind all along, and he says a cheerful goodbye, pressing K.'s hand firmly and declaring, 'So, I'll see you the day after tomorrow.'