Betrayal and arrest

The betrayal and arrest of Alex is the pivotal moment that shatters his gang and delivers him into the hands of the state, ending his life of ultra-violence and beginning his journey toward the Ludovico Technique. After breaking into the home of a wealthy old woman surrounded by cats, Alex is abandoned by his droogs and captured by the police, a sequence that reveals the fragility of his authority and the treachery of those he trusted.

The Failed Burglary and the Trap

Alex's plan to rob the old woman's house, the Manse, goes disastrously wrong. He gains entry by climbing onto Dim's shoulders and breaking a window, but inside he is attacked by the woman and her cats. In the struggle, he strikes her with a silver statue, knocking her unconscious. As he tries to escape, he hears a police siren, realizing the woman had already called the police when he first rang the doorbell pretending to need help.

Dim's Betrayal

When Alex finally opens the front door, he finds Dim waiting outside. Instead of helping him flee, Dim strikes Alex across the eyes with his chain, blinding him temporarily. Dim then runs off, laughing, leaving Alex to be captured. Alex realizes that his other droogs, Pete and Georgie, have already fled, abandoning him to face the police alone.

Arrest and Police Brutality

The police arrive and arrest Alex, who is in agony from his eye injuries. They mock him and beat him, twisting his arm and punching him. Alex, desperate and in pain, tries to blame his droogs, claiming they forced him to commit the crime. The police, however, are familiar with Alex and his gang, and they take him to the police station, where he is further beaten and forced to confess to a long list of crimes, including the murder of the old woman.

The Aftermath

Alex is thrown into a cell with other prisoners, where he is attacked by a queer inmate. He is eventually told that the old woman has died from her injuries, and he realizes he is now a murderer. The betrayal by his droogs and his subsequent arrest lead directly to his conviction and fourteen-year prison sentence, setting the stage for his selection for the Ludovico Technique.