As the days go by at the St. Clare house, Uncle Tom gains the trust and respect of his new master. St. Clare proves to be a lackadaisical and wasteful man and quickly starts to rely on Tom to handle his finances. Adolph proves just as careless as his employer and grows envious of Tom's rising influence within the household. 

One night, St. Clare returns home dreadfully drunk; the next morning, Tom tearfully pleads with him to be more mindful of his spiritual well-being. This heartfelt request moves St. Clare, who promises to avoid excessive drinking in the future.

While Tom grows comfortable in the new household, Miss Ophelia rises to the challenge of tidying the St. Clare mansion. She cleans out the storage areas and organizes everything she touches, and her changes surprise and intrigue the household. However, Old Dinah, the head cook, is not happy with Ophelia's intervention in the kitchen, which she considers her domain. Miss Ophelia is frustrated by the disarray she sees, exclaiming, "I've never seen such inefficient organization, such waste and such chaos!" Despite this, St. Clare stands up for Dinah, pointing out that she still manages to produce delicious meals despite the disorganization.

When Miss Ophelia expresses her disappointment about the servants' wastefulness and dishonesty, St. Clare remains unperturbed. He explains that in a slave society, honesty is not valued by the servants, as they are considered to be property themselves. Therefore, the idea of stealing does not apply to them. Despite her suggestion that he should take a more responsible approach towards his servants, including their spiritual well-being and education, St. Clare remains uninterested.

Old Dinah meets with Prue, a discouraged and oppressed woman from the surrounding area. Prue explains that she would rather die than continue living in this sorrowful state. Some of the arrogant slaves belonging to St. Clare, such as Adolph, Jane, and Rosa, mock her. Uncle Tom attempts to educate Prue about Christianity and encourages her to give up drinking. Prue reveals that she once had a child who passed away due to starvation, leaving behind only unhappiness and alcohol in her life.

Later, Miss Ophelia and St. Clare are discussing slavery when they hear about the passing of Prue. After she failed to appear in Dinah’s kitchen, many became concerned about their missing friend and sought to determine her whereabouts; eventually, they learn that she was locked up in a cellar and beaten to death as a punishment for her drunkenness.

Miss Ophelia is aghast at the news, but St. Clare is unperturbed, explaining, "I figured it would come to that eventually." Legally, enslaved individuals are property; as such, they have no legal protection. St. Clare comments that "irresponsible tyrants" have complete power. Nothing he can do will change that. In  a defeated tone, he asks Miss Ophelia: "What can someone with honorable and compassionate values do, but close their eyes and harden their heart?"

As the discussion grows grim, St. Clare turns to his family background. He reveals that his involvement in the slave trade stems from the inheritance he received from his father, a Louisiana planter. After his father passed, St. Clare and his twin brother, Alfred, divided the estate. Alfred took control of the plantation, and St. Clare received the family mansion in New Orleans. 

Initially, St. Clare had felt compelled to attempt to change society for the better, but he ultimately abandoned this idea, choosing to live comfortably instead. He chose not to free his slaves simply because he was accustomed to having them. The chapter ends as Uncle Tom struggles to compose a letter to his kin in Kentucky. Out of compassion, St. Clare offers to draft the letter for Tom but comments that he does not have faith in the Shelbys' vow to repurchase Tom.