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Mother Night Chapter 8 Summary

Auf Wiedersehen…

  • So, um, quick question: why doesn't Campbell just get hanged with the other traitors and criminals after WWII?
  • Rumor has it—according to Campbell, at least—that he's actually an undercover agent for the U.S. Whoa—potential game-changer here. Tell us more.
  • Okay, here's the thing: Campbell has no idea what the codes were, but he assures us he was given instructions to broadcast some codes to the U.S. from Berlin via vile hate-speech.
  • What kind of codes? You know: coughs, pregnant pauses, etc. The stuff of pre-texting, middle-school cheating during an exam. Interesting.
  • The U.S. government doesn't reveal this to the world, though. They just help to get the case against Campbell dropped.
  • Anyway, living in New York, most people seem to forget about Campbell.
  • The closest encounter Campbell has is when he goes to a doctor who happens to be Jewish.
  • As the young doc is bandaging his thumb, his mom mentions that Campbell's name is famous. (FYI: the doctor operates out of the home he shares with his mom, and they live in the same apartment building as Campbell.)
  • Campbell shrugs it off. The doctor doesn't want it to be a thing.
  • The doc's mom wants to make it a thing. She remembers. She asks Campbell—in German—if he speaks German.
  • Campbell: Nope, but Auf Wiedersehen, lol.