After the pistol duel, silence reigns in the Kummerveldt house, Luise and Veit avoid each other. Both try in their own way to process the sibling conflict. Veit's wound is treated by Dr. Büchner, whom Veit threatens not to reveal the truth about the origin of the injury. Meanwhile, the new housemaid Karla begins her service. Veit feels drawn to her – in his position of power, an ominous coincidence for the young woman. Karla also arouses Luise's interest. Because Luise has a new task. Her male pseudonym has received a new letter from the publisher, which has turned out to be more benevolent, but also advises choosing more naturalistic themes as a basis for literature in the spirit of the zeitgeist.

With the newly learned cycling, Luise regains a bit of freedom and also – once again – causes an unpleasant sensation, which not only bothers her brother Veit. Luise's behavior also resonates with his comrade Dr. Servant increasingly outraged, who sees Veit as responsible for stopping his sister. Luise knows how to take advantage of this fact – she has finally found a way to provoke her brother. Karla is unsettled by Luise's great interest in her everyday life and asks her not to write about her anymore. Luise reluctantly agrees to Luise's subsequent suggestion that Karla be given an alias in her text. It's not just this topic that bothers Karla - but also sudden attacks of morning sickness, which the house servant can't hide.