- Something is rotten in the state of the Animal Farm, and it's not the dead sheep from the battle.
- Mollie has been cavorting with one of the men on the neighboring farms in return for frivolities like sugar and ribbons. (Hey, we get it.)
- Then she abandons the farm altogether. Oops.
- Snowball and Napoleon start fighting with each other like two bullies on a playground arguing about who's bigger and who should be captain of the dodge ball team.
- Snowball's speeches are better, but Napoleon does this clever campaigning business in the downtime between animal votes: when Snowball makes plans for a windmill for the farm, Napoleon pees on them.
- Literally, he actually pees on the plans. Or "urinates," as Orwell so delicately puts it. We're not kidding.
- Benjamin pops back up again to say that life is terrible either way, windmill or no windmill. Snowball and Napoleon give speeches about the windmill; Snowball's is superior. But before the vote, Napoleon brings in his private army of puppies, now all grown-up and tooth-baring and vicious, and they chase Snowball out of the farm. Napoleon wins by default.
- Or by brute force, depending on your point of view.
- Once he's in charge, Napoleon abolishes the meetings. Squealer makes him seem like a god by "explaining" things to the dumber animals.
- Oh, and then Napoleon decides to build the windmill after all. How convenient.