Chapter 4: The board decides that the best thing to do with Oliver is send him out to sea as a cabin boy. They figure that the sailors will take the best care of him, by which they mean treat him the worst and probably kill him. As Mr. Bumble is looking into this new arrangement, he runs into Mr. Sowerberry, the undertaker. Mr. Bumble tells him of young Oliver stating that anyone who takes him off the states hands will receive five pounds. Mr. Bumble asks if he knows of anyone who needs a boy, and Mr. Sowerberry offers to take him. The board agrees upon the plan, and Mr. Bumble takes Oliver, weeping from loneliness, to the Sowerberry house. He meets both Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry, the serving girl Charlotte. Mr. Sowerberry gives him a little meat, which he devours and takes him to his bed that is located under the coffin counter.
Chapter 5: A pounding on the door the following morning woke Oliver from his sleep in the coffin room. The person outside was yelling and kicking the door to be let in. Oliver opened the door and was introduced to Noah Claypole who also worked for Mr. Sowerberry and who was a higher rank than Oliver was. He pointed this out to Oliver very quickly and was very mean to him. Noah and Oliver went down to get breakfast with Charlotte. Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry during their own breakfast decide that because Oliver was such a nice looking, though melancholy, boy, he should be a made a mute. Later in the morning, Mr. Bumble comes with news of a woman who has died and needs a coffin. Mr. Sowerberry takes Oliver to the home of the dead woman, and Oliver sees what the profession that Mr. Sowerberry and the state chose for him was. He attends his first funeral and burial and decides that he does not like it, but Mr. Sowerberry tells him that he will get used to it in time.
Chapter 6: Noah took a joy in making Oliver cry, and one day in attempt to do so, asked Oliver about his mother. Since his mother was a very sensitive subject to him, Oliver became upset. Noah continued to taunt him and insult his mother until Oliver snapped and attacked Noah. Noah surprised screamed and called out to Charlotte and Mrs. Sowerberry. They pulled Oliver off Noah, and sent Noah to find Mr. Bumble at the workhouse because Mr. Sowerberry was not around.
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