At the asylum, Ivan talks to a fellow patient. The patient explains that he stole a set of keys that allows him to access all the rooms in the asylum. He chooses not to escape, however, as he has nowhere “to get out to” (101). When Ivan explains that he is a poet, the patient asks him never to write another poem. Ivan agrees with the man, now believing his poetry to be terrible. The patient ducks into hiding when a nurse passes by then returns to speak to Ivan. He talks about another newly arrived patient and provides a thinly veiled description of Bosoi. When Ivan explains his own backstory, the mention of Pontius Pilate shocks the patient. For once, Ivan is able to explain to a “sympathetic listener” (102) what happened to him without being told he has lost his mind.

After Ivan finishes his story, the patient seems relieved and thankful. He assures Ivan that events could have transpired in a much, much worse manner. When Ivan presses the patient to explain the identity of the mysterious stranger in the park, the patient reveals that Woland is “Satan” (103) in disguise. The patient explains that he would like to have met Woland and that he is in the asylum for much the same reason as Ivan, that reason being Pontius Pilate.