Chapter 4, which takes place in 1941, is called "The Noose Tightens" because Nazis are gathering up Jews left and right without any provocation. One scene shows Vladek walking through the streets near the train station and seeing Nazis grabbing and beating up Jews whether they had papers to travel or not. Izlecki hides Vladek from the street brawl in his house and they watch for a few hours as Jews are being shot and beaten up. It is at this point that they feel the proverbial noose tighten, so Vladek and Ilzecki talk about possible solutions for saving their sons from being taken by the Nazis. Ilzecki says that he has a Polish friend who is willing to take and hide his son "until the situation gets better" (83). He says that maybe the Pole will take Richieu, too. Vladek returns home and tells his wife Anja about possibly sending their son to safety. Anja can't do it, though, and Vladek is refused. Vladek says the following about what happened:

"Ilzecki and his wife didn't come out from the war, but his son remained alive; ours did not. And anyway we had to give Richieu to hide a year later" (83).

Richieu was sent to Zawiercie with a woman named Tosha in 1943. When the Gestapo was gathering up everyone from the ghetto and shipping them to Auschwitz, Tosha decided to poison herself and the three children she had in her care: Bibi, Lonia, and Richieu (111).