The next morning, Gregor is woken up by the sound of a closing door. He makes his way across the room, to the door, and finds food. Not until now does he realize how hungry he actually is. Gregor takes a sip from the bowl of milk before him, and is surprised to find that he can no longer stand the taste of what used to be his favorite drink. He leaves the food alone and begins to think about his family’s home and how fortunate they have been to live in such a nice home until now. Gregor wonders what will change now that he has transformed and is unable to provide his family.

           

Gregor spends the next night in one spot in his room, unable to sleep and constantly reminded of his excruciating hunger. His sister, Grete, opens the door the next morning, but quickly slams it shut when she spots him. Grete returns shortly after and notices that Gregor has not consumed much of the food she brought him. She clears away the milk and brings back all different types of food in order to find something that Gregor is willing to eat. Gregor made it clear which foods he didn’t enjoy, and his sister brings him new food each day.

             

Since Gregor no longer verbally communicates with any of his family members he must shamefully listen in on their conversations from his room. He overhears conversations about money and remembers his dream for his sister to go to the Conservatory to study music. He realizes that he has left his family in an unfortunate situation and is upset that neither his father, who hasn’t worked in five years, his mother, who is sick with asthma, nor his sister will be to support the family.

           

As time passes, Gregor changes even more. He begins to lose his vision as well as his appetite. Gregor can no longer sit still and finds entertainment in crawling around his room. Gregor tries to keep himself hidden from his sister so she won’t become disgusted, but even still, she becomes aware of his new hobby. She decides to move around the furniture in Gregor’s room with her mother’s help. As the furniture is being cleared out, Gregor realizes that he longs for his room to remain in its original state from when he was human. In order to let his sister know his feelings towards the matter, he clings to a picture still hanging on the wall. Gregor’s mother is startled and disgusted when she spots Gregor and immediately faints upon viewing her son as a bug. When Gregor’s father returns home for the day, he is extremely angry to find his wife ill from the sight of his son. Gregor’s father begins to chase Gregor around their home. Gregor races to escape his father’s boots, which were promptly slamming into the ground in attempt to squash Gregor. After a short while, Gregor’s father resorts to throwing apples at Gregor. Gregor barely escapes an apple as it glances off his back, but was hit by the next apple and was rendered unable to move.

           

As the chapter comes to a close, Gregor is confused and in pain. His mother begs his father for her son’s life. Although Gregor is not in the same form he once was and is now seen as an outcast to the family, his mother still holds onto the idea of who her son used to be.