Part 4, Chapters 16-18 Summary
The board of directors demands that Wynand relent and rehire those he fired. Mitchell Layton, who has more invested in The Banner than anyone but Wynand himself, warns that he will take over the paper and run it the way it should be run. Wynand will not hear Toohey’s name, but in the end he relents in order to save the paper. Scarret will take over. Wynand agrees to write a front-page article in which he states that he was too lenient with Roark and that, if found guilty, Roark must pay the price of his crime. Wynand walks the streets of the city, equating himself with the refuse crushed into the pavement. He remembers holding the gun to his head so long ago. He feels that he might as well have pulled the trigger then....
(The entire section is 603 words.)
