The Trial

A few days pass. One night, as K. is leaving the bank to go home, he hears strange noises coming from the junk room. He opens the door to investigate and finds two men being whipped by a third man. He demands to know what is going on and is informed by the “Flogger” that the two men being whipped are the warders who had been sent to arrest K. They are now being punished because K. complained about their conduct at his initial inquiry. K. responds with horror and disgust. He explains that he holds the court, not the warders, responsible for what happened to him, and asks the Flogger to let the men go. But the Flogger cannot oblige K. As the Flogger goes about his work, K. leaves the room. When his assistants are drawn by the noise, he tells them that it’s just a dog howling outside.

K. remains troubled by the situation the next day. When he leaves the bank, he looks into the junk room once again and is shocked to find the warders and Flogger exactly where they were the previous evening. K. shuts the door and flees. Before going home, he orders the assistants to clear the junk room, and they promise to do so the next day.