Chapter 3 Summary: If You Listen Carefully, You Can Totally Hear the Rhubarb — Key Events and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with the narrator (K) entering a 1950s-style diner directly across from the Magician’s arcade. He immediately notices the floor tiles—395 white and 400 black—and counts his steps to the booth, a habit that signals his anxiety. Alan Scarpio, one of the world’s richest men, is already there, eating rhubarb pie and joking about recording the sound of rhubarb growing. K is visibly nervous, and he realizes he has unconsciously started tapping out a remembered tennis match on his knees—a coping mechanism he hasn’t used in over a decade.

Scarpio asks K what he knows about Rabbits. K hesitates, aware that Scarpio might be the legendary winner known as Californiac. Scarpio quotes the opening of the tenth canto of Dante’s Inferno (“Now onward goes”), and K recognizes it from a semester of studying Dante. As they talk, K hears strange creaking and cracking sounds coming from Scarpio’s phone—Scarpio claims it’s the rhubarb recording, but the sound unsettles K. Scarpio then delivers a cryptic warning: “Something’s wrong with the game,” and if it isn’t fixed before the next iteration begins, “we’re all well and truly fucked.”

Before K can ask more, Scarpio receives a phone call that visibly drains the color from his face. He abruptly ends the call and asks K to walk him to his car. During the walk, K shares everything he knows about Rabbits: its secretive nature, its alleged ancient origins (possibly linked to the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, and the Thule Society), the rumored prizes (NSA or CIA recruitment, billions of dollars, or immortality), the mysterious list of winners called The Circle, and the famous player Hazel, who supposedly disappeared after winning the eighth iteration. K also mentions the widespread belief that Scarpio himself is Californiac, the winner of the sixth iteration, and that winning made him rich overnight. Scarpio’s expression gives nothing away.

When they reach Scarpio’s black Tesla, Scarpio gives K a business card printed with nothing but a phone number. He asks K to meet him at the same diner the next morning at eleven to continue their discussion. K agrees, trying not to grin. Scarpio drives off, and K stands alone in the rain, trying to process what just happened. He notes that Scarpio had no driver, which seems oddly down-to-earth for a billionaire—except for the part about allegedly winning a fortune playing a secret, possibly deadly game.

Key Events

K meets Alan Scarpio at a 1950s diner across from the Magician’s arcade.
Scarpio jokes about rhubarb and reveals he has a recording of it growing on his phone.
K’s anxiety resurfaces; he unconsciously taps out a 2001 U.S. Open tennis match on his knees.
Scarpio asks K what he knows about Rabbits and quotes Dante’s Inferno.
Strange creaking sounds emanate from Scarpio’s phone, and the diner lights seem to flicker in concert.
Scarpio warns that something is wrong with the game and that everyone is in danger if it isn’t fixed before the next iteration.
Scarpio receives a disturbing phone call and abruptly leaves.
During the walk to his car, K recounts everything he knows about Rabbits, including the Circle, Hazel, and the rumor that Scarpio won the sixth iteration.
Scarpio gives K a business card with only a phone number and arranges to meet the next morning at eleven.

Character Development

K – This chapter deepens K’s characterization by revealing his anxiety and his coping mechanisms. His habit of counting tiles and tapping out tennis matches is a clear sign of his psychological fragility, and the fact that he hasn’t used this technique in ten years suggests that meeting Scarpio has triggered a profound stress response. K’s internal monologue also shows his self-awareness and his tendency to downplay his own expertise—he calls himself “perpetually underemployed” even though he is considered an authority on Rabbits among his peers. His willingness to walk with Scarpio and his barely suppressed excitement at the prospect of continuing the conversation reveal his hunger for involvement in the game.

Alan Scarpio – Scarpio is presented as an enigmatic, almost theatrical figure. He is playful (the rhubarb joke, the Gary Busey anecdote), but also intense and cryptic. His quote from Dante and his warning about the game suggest that he is deeply entangled in Rabbits, and his reaction to the phone call—losing color and becoming flustered—hints at a real threat. He is also shown to be surprisingly approachable, driving his own car and tipping generously, which contrasts with his billionaire status. The chapter leaves his true motives and knowledge deliberately unclear.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Secrecy and Hidden Knowledge – The entire conversation revolves around what K knows and what Scarpio is willing to reveal. The game itself is described as a hidden, underground obsession, and the warnings (“You play, you never tell”) underscore the culture of secrecy. Scarpio’s business card with only a phone number is a physical symbol of this hidden communication—no name, no context, just a direct line.

Anxiety and Pattern Recognition – K’s anxiety manifests as an obsessive need to find patterns in his environment (counting tiles, noticing the word “Dodge” in the television broadcast and the car outside). His coping mechanism—tapping out tennis matches—is a form of imposed order on a chaotic mind. This motif connects to the larger theme of Rabbits itself, which is a game built on patterns, clues, and hidden connections. K’s pattern-seeking may be both a weakness and a strength.

Danger and the Supernatural – Scarpio’s warning that “something’s wrong with the game” and the eerie creaking sounds from his phone introduce an element of menace. The flickering lights and the mention of the Wardens—potentially deadly figures who protect the game—suggest that Rabbits is not merely a puzzle but a high-stakes, possibly supernatural enterprise.

Rhubarb as a Symbol – The rhubarb pie and the recording of rhubarb growing serve as a red herring and a metaphor. Rhubarb grows quickly and audibly, but Scarpio’s joke undercuts the seriousness of the moment. It also highlights Scarpio’s playful, unpredictable nature, and the sound itself becomes a creepy, almost horror-movie element when played with reverb, foreshadowing the unsettling nature of the game.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is pivotal because it brings the narrator into direct contact with the central mystery of the novel. Scarpio is not just a wealthy eccentric; he is allegedly a former winner of Rabbits, and his warning that the game is broken raises the stakes for the entire narrative. The chapter also establishes the rules of engagement: K is being recruited, but he doesn’t yet know for what. The meeting at the diner sets up a pattern of clandestine conversations and cryptic clues that will likely drive the plot forward. Additionally, the chapter deepens K’s backstory—his anxiety, his past trauma (the accident with Annie and Emily Connors, his parents’ death)—which humanizes him and makes his involvement in the game more personal. The business card and the promise of a follow-up meeting create a cliffhanger that propels the reader into the next chapter.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does K begin tapping out a tennis match on his knees during the conversation with Scarpio?

K’s anxiety resurfaces because he is meeting one of the most powerful and mysterious figures in the world, and he is unsure of Scarpio’s intentions. The tennis match—the 2001 U.S. Open quarterfinal between Sampras and Agassi—is a familiar pattern that helps him regain control. He hasn’t needed this coping mechanism in over a decade, which indicates how intensely stressful this encounter is for him.

2. What does K tell Scarpio about Rabbits, and what does this reveal about the game’s mythology?

K explains that Rabbits is a secret, ancient game possibly connected to the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, and the Thule Society. He mentions the rumored prizes (government recruitment, wealth, immortality), the list of winners called The Circle, and the famous player Hazel who disappeared after winning the eighth iteration. He also shares the belief that Scarpio is Californiac, the winner of the sixth iteration. This reveals that Rabbits is a deeply mythologized underground phenomenon with high stakes and a history of mysterious winners.

3. What is the significance of Scarpio’s warning that “something’s wrong with the game”?

Scarpio’s warning introduces the central conflict of the novel: the game is not functioning as it should, and the consequences could be catastrophic for everyone involved. The phrase “we’re all well and truly fucked” suggests that the game’s integrity is tied to the safety of its players—and possibly the world. This warning, combined with the eerie sounds and the urgent phone call, establishes that Rabbits is not just a puzzle but a dangerous, possibly supernatural force that needs to be fixed before the next iteration begins.