- The next morning, Humbert double checks his gun (which he calls Chum) and returns to Pavor Manor. He enters the house only to find dead silence. He explores the house, which is huge and meandering with curious details throughout.
- Quilty finally emerges from one of the bathrooms and greets Humbert with complete indifference. Humbert marvels at finally having his nemesis trapped. Quilty responds with a complete blank at the mention of Lolita's name. Quilty's smugness irritates Humbert, who proceeds to inform Quilty that he is Lolita's father and that Quilty is about to die.
- Finally acknowledging who Lolita was, Quilty defends that he "saved her from a beastly pervert" (2.35.44). Quilty makes every effort to distract Humbert with clever witticisms and half-hearted excuses. They begin to wrestle over the gun.
- Humbert reads a list of Quilty's crimes written as a poem.
- Quilty tries bribing Humbert with the house, royalties from his play, pornography, young girls…but Humbert shoots at him.
- A chase ensues in which Quilty runs throughout the house trying to escape. Humbert shoots him several times. He turns out to be hard to kill, but Humbert eventually gets him.
- Humbert finds a group of drunk partiers downstairs and announces to them that he has just killed Quilty. They don't seem to care.