We have changed our privacy policy. In addition, we use cookies on our website for various purposes. By continuing on our website, you consent to our use of cookies. You can learn about our practices by reading our privacy policy.

The Fountainhead Part 1, Chapter 5 Summary

  • Keating manages to get his best friend at work, Tim Davis, fired. Wow, Keating. Way to be a dirtbag.
  • He then manages to get the firm's chief designer, Stengel, to leave. Keating takes over his job. This is Rand's blazing neon flashing sign saying: You should hate Keating. You should hate Keating.
  • Then Keating gets stage fright and has to go to Roark for help on designing his first building as chief designer.
  • Roark helps him out and Keating is relieved yet embarrassed. There's that flashing neon sign again: You shouldn't respect Keating. You shouldn't respect Keating.
  • Cameron's firm is having a really awful time. Hmm. Cameron kind of warned Roark about this.
  • He and Roark lose a big commission, and they are pretty much broke.
  • Cameron shows Roark the newspaper of his arch-nemesis, Gail Wynand. The paper is tabloid garbage, and Cameron insists that society is beyond horrible. Yeah, when you judge society as a whole on a rag that promotes stuff like baby-bump watches and snarky red-carpet event coverage, it's going to look fairly bleak.
  • Roark can't even pay his rent, and Keating gives him some money. Roark refuses it. The neon sign flashes: Roark has pride. Roark has pride.