Summary: A man asks to speak to Laila’s parents, and he tells them that both of their sons were killed in the war. They have the funeral, and Laila’s mother has no idea what to do with herself. She can not believe that her sons are dead. This started all of Mammy’s sickness, only she felt them. Doctors could not find anything wrong with her. Mammy laid in bed most of the time, and when Laila would lay with her, Mammy would tell her about the boys and how they were going to be great men one day.
Analysis: The war is a large part in life of Afghanistan people. Their husbands, sons and brothers fought in it. Laila’s older brothers are killed in the war, and Laila’s parents are devastated. Laila’s mom mourned so much because her sons were her first two children. Mammy was so depressed after they died that she started causing herself sickness that only she could feel. This affects Laila in that she continues her childhood effectively without a mother, which is not good for any child. The deaths of her brothers doesn’t affect Laila because she did not know them at all. The events of this chapter affects the plot by making Laila’s life even more troubled and chaotic.
