With the help of Ellis Mitter, Schocker finally gets a probationary apprenticeship at an auto repair shop. He is hard-working and well on his way to becoming a "decent person". Richy, on the other hand, is going downhill. He runs away from home because his father has taken up with a new, rather slutty wife, wanders aimlessly through the city, sleeps in laundromats, begs. Schocker also experiences a disappointment: he is refused an apprenticeship after the probationary period has expired. At home he covers up his "failure". Soon after, Richy and Schocker are caught after a failed theft in a jewelry store. Both end up in jail. (Hörzu 40/1979, S. 76)

Richy and Schocker live in a homeless settlement under miserable conditions. There are constant conflicts in the families of the two adolescents. Schocker suffers under his tyrannical stepfather, who loses both legs in an accident at work. Richy's "old man" beats his wife, drinks, works irregularly. Both boys want out of the milieu that is breaking them. When Schocker can't take it anymore, he decides to run away. (Hörzu 39/1979, S. 64)

Schocker ran away. But he does not get far. His girlfriend Elli gives the police a tip and is glad that Schocker is brought back. On Christmas Eve, he lets Richy persuade him to go with him to the kindergarten. 200 D-Mark are supposed to be there for the taking. But the two are ratted out. Richy escapes. Schocker is caught. His situation becomes more and more difficult. Richy, who befriends the gypsy Mohrle and learns to play the guitar from him, has to experience how his father destroys the bond with the "gypsy pack". (Hörzu 39/1979, S. 76)