Chapter 24 opens with an emotionally charged and intense conversation between the protagonist and Resi, a woman who has just shared a deeply personal truth about her feelings and her identity. They are seated in a bustling cafeteria where the harsh overhead lighting and overwhelming noise of their surroundings only seem to amplify the emotional chaos of their situation. As Resi boldly declares her love for him, the protagonist is thrown into a state of confusion, unable to comprehend the depth of her emotions or the true nature of their relationship. The declaration triggers a wave of guilt, self-doubt, and uncertainty in him, leading him to question whether he has unknowingly committed some sort of “strange crime” that he feels he can’t fully grasp, but that weighs heavily on his conscience.

Resi’s confession comes as a surprise, and as the conversation unfolds, she reveals that her love for the protagonist has been a constant throughout her life, tracing back to her childhood. As they talk, Resi opens up about her past, explaining that much of her story—particularly her escape to West Berlin and the fabricated tales she told about her life in Dresden—was simply a fiction, a mask she wore to protect herself. However, she admits that the one truth in all of this was her time spent working in a cigarette factory, a job that, though simple, was a defining moment in her life. During this time, Resi harbored a secret longing to be someone else—someone more glamorous, someone more complete—someone like her sister, Helga, whom she had always looked up to and admired. It’s revealed that, in her mind, her dreams of becoming Helga were the escape from a life that never quite felt her own. Resi expresses deep guilt over these fabrications, lamenting that her desire to become her sister overshadowed her ability to accept her own identity.

The protagonist, still reeling from Resi’s revelation, wrestles with whether she can truly embody the essence of Helga, the woman he once loved. He is unsure if his perception of love and identity has become so clouded by the past that it hinders his ability to accept Resi for who she is now. He acknowledges that his emotions may be skewing his judgment, and in doing so, he makes room for Resi’s assertion that her love for him is just as powerful and genuine as Helga’s once was. This shift in the protagonist’s understanding is pivotal in the chapter, as it forces him to confront the possibility that Resi is not just a substitute for his lost love, but a person in her own right, capable of giving and receiving love on her own terms. The conversation takes a deeper turn when Resi asks him a seemingly simple question that becomes a metaphor for her internal struggle: Should she continue to bleach her hair white, in an attempt to resemble Helga, or should she embrace her natural color and, in doing so, embrace her true self? The question becomes a powerful symbol of her struggle with identity, self-acceptance, and the desire to shed the skin of someone she is not in order to fully become who she truly is.

As the dialogue comes to a close, they leave the noisy cafeteria behind and step out onto the street, where Resi’s character begins to take shape more clearly. Her laughter, which fills the air with life and joy, contrasts starkly with the memories of Helga, marking a turning point in Resi’s journey toward self-realization. This moment signals a departure from the past, where Resi had been living in the shadow of Helga, to the present, where she is beginning to carve out her own identity, separate from the expectations of those around her. The protagonist, too, begins to see her in a new light, one that reflects her uniqueness rather than as a mere echo of someone else. As they pass by a store window, they stop to observe a bed on display, one that seems eerily familiar to the one the protagonist once shared with Helga. This sight—an innocuous object in itself—serves as a poignant reminder of the past, a symbol of the love that once was, now replaced by a growing, tentative connection between the protagonist and Resi. Their reflections in the glass, fleeting and distorted, seem to capture the essence of this transition: lost love and new possibilities intertwined. The chapter culminates in this moment of quiet reflection, symbolizing the complex interplay between memory, identity, and the painful yet necessary process of moving forward. As the protagonist looks at Resi, he is forced to face not only the ghosts of his past but also the possibilities of a new future, one that may be shaped by her presence and the love she offers.