Milkweed: Chapter 33 Summary & Analysis

When they get home, Uncle Shepsel is dancing in the courtyard, saying the Russians are going to save them. Nobody else is celebrating. In the Milgroms’ room, new ghetto residents have arrived, needing space. Mr. Milgrom lets them have the mattress. Meanwhile, Misha joins the orphan boys outside, where Enos is laughing as he stands on a pile of rubble. After everything that’s been done to the Jews, he says, it’s hilarious that they’re getting bombed now, too. Nobody else laughs, though.

Conditions in the ghetto are growing worse: there are more orphans, roaming the streets and begging, but there’s no food to give them. One day, Misha sees a Jackboot and his girlfriend tossing pieces of bread into the snow and laughing as people desperately pounce on the bread.

Seven new people are crammed into the Milgroms’ tiny apartment now, including twin little boys. The adults don’t speak to Misha or Janina, but the little boys play with them. Janina is kind to them in return, leaving them pieces of food at night. One day, someone inexplicably throws cabbages, potatoes, and sausages over the ghetto wall. This happens several nights in a row, and each time, Misha and Janina joyfully collect a feast to bring home. But the flying food eventually stops.

One day, the mysterious, sought-after cow appears in the ghetto—but it’s galloping across a balcony while a laughing Jackboot attacks it with a flamethrower. The flaming cow finally sails off the balcony and lands in the courtyard. Moments later, it’s mobbed by people.