Contents
Chapter 45: Four
Overview
Jeanine arrives with Cara and Caleb to update Dauntless simulation systems and pressures Four into testing the patch. In front of Eric and others, Four relives a memory of Marcus’s abuse, confirming Abnegation corruption. Jeanine probes his Divergence and identity, finally addressing him as Mr. Eaton, tightening Erudite leverage.
Summary
Jeanine Matthews, flanked by Cara and a young Erudite assistant, arrives in the Dauntless simulation chamber to deploy a deep system update. Four plays respectful technician, reporting mysterious data erasures and an after-hours access that the system logged under Jeanine’s name, baiting her to blame a malfunction. Eric seizes on the lapse to threaten Four’s standing, while Jeanine assigns the update installation to the assistant—revealed to be Caleb.
As Caleb freezes and restarts the simulated flames, Jeanine quizzes Four, extracting that his nickname reflects only four fears. She then insists he test the patch. Trapped by Eric’s pressure, Four agrees, fearing his Divergence could be exposed and dreading the possibility of facing Marcus in his landscape.
The simulation drops Four into a vivid memory: his Abnegation bedroom moments before Marcus’s intrusion. To avoid revealing awareness, Four reenacts the event exactly—hiding contraband, failing to conceal his mother’s blue glass gift, and enduring Marcus’s destruction of it and the imminent threat of the belt. The scene ends at the brink of violence, highlighting humiliation, fear, and the knowledge of his father’s lovelessness.
Exiting the sim, Four confronts Jeanine’s hungry scrutiny. She deduces it was a true memory repeated without deviation, probing whether he could have changed it if he were aware. Four denies the possibility, masking his Divergence. Satisfied with the leverage and implications against Abnegation, Jeanine dismisses him by his true surname—Mr. Eaton—signaling she knows his identity and tightening Erudite control.
Who Appears
- Four (Tobias Eaton)Dauntless simulation technician forced to test an update; relives Marcus’s abuse; hides Divergence; identity exposed as Eaton.
- Jeanine MatthewsErudite leader orchestrating a system update; pressures Four; deduces memory nature; reveals Four’s surname for leverage.
- EricDauntless leader who threatens Four and helps coerce him into the fear simulation; enjoys Four’s discomfort.
- CalebErudite initiate and Tris’s brother; installs the simulation update under Jeanine’s direction.
- CaraErudite representative assisting Jeanine; observes the update and Four’s test.
- MaxDauntless leader present for formality; leaves before the test, showing little interest in evaluation.
- Marcus EatonFour’s abusive father, appearing in Four’s memory; destroys a keepsake and prepares to beat him.