When Jonathan discovers his damaged house in Enugu, he is surprisingly overcome with feelings of gratitude. Even though the doors, windows, and roof of the house are missing, Jonathan counts himself fortunate that the foundation of the house is still secure. He is amazed at his good fortune when he notices that a concrete house built by contractors, two houses down, has been reduced to a mountain of rubble.

Jonathan is also very thankful that his wife and three children are still alive. He gets up early in the morning to hunt for bits of old cardboard, metal, and wood before anybody else ventures out in search of these materials. With everything he has managed to scavenge, Jonathan hires a carpenter with a lone hammer and a few, rusty nails to turn the assortment of 'wood, paper, and metal into door and window shutters for five Nigerian shillings or fifty Biafran pounds.'