Jurgis' rebellious nature, which previously has only been alluded to, is now displayed in full force. He becomes a criminal, taking full advantage of the system. And for the first time in his life, Jurgis is getting ahead in the world. Although he demonstrates a bit of sympathy for his first victim, Jurgis soon submits to the natural law of the jungle, becoming the hunter instead of the hunted.
Once again, mention is made of the Socialist Party, and once again Jurgis does not understand or care to understand the socialist position. Jurgis believes that he now has control over his destiny and is making choices that will affect his future positively. In reality, he is still being used by the higher-ups on the pecking order. This time, Scully is the one pulling all Jonas' strings.
The majority of this chapter continues the muckraking that Sinclair has been doing throughout The Jungle. This time, the police and government officials are the primary people being indicted. Thematically, this illustrates Sinclair's beliefs that society is severely corrupt: The business world, political world, and criminal world are all equally exploitative in nature. By the end of the chapter, Duane, who has served his purpose, disappears, driven out of town by the police.