This section of the novel is where the title comes from. The lambs are a symbol of innocence, which Starling wants to protect at all costs. She abhors needless suffering, and she joined the FBI to protect innocent people. In her mind, she connects the lambs with Buffalo Bill’s victims. People shear lambs for their wool, just as Buffalo Bill kills his victims for their skin. The cries Starling hears in her sleep are innocent victims calling out to her, begging for her help.