Discovery of the Message

While exploring her room, Offred discovers a message scratched into the wall of her closet: 'Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.' She does not understand the Latin but recognizes it as a forbidden act of writing. The message connects her to the previous Handmaid who occupied the room, a woman she imagines as freckled and lively. Offred finds comfort in this secret communication, which becomes a private mantra. She later learns from Rita that the previous Handmaid 'didn't work out,' hinting at her fate.