As Dick and Perry settle into life in captivity, the two men take largely different approaches. Dick decides to make an ice pick shaped shiv out of a brush that he has stolen, which he plans to use in an attempt to escape. He stays largely calm in the lead up to the trial, spending much of his time reading and planning the escape, while continuing his habit of smoking. During this time, Perry keeps a journal in his cell and goes on to confess to the murders of all four members of the family, contrasting his prior confession. During the early part of his stay, Perry is observed by the sheriff's wife as being gentle, however he vehemently disputes this due to the fact that he witnessed the aftermath of the murders in person. Throughout his stay Perry is visited by neither of his parents, but receives a letter from an old Army friend looking to be Perry’s “friend” and attempt to convert him to catholicism. After receiving this letter Perry excitedly constructs a response accepting his friendship, but noting he doesn't believe in any religion. Perry later reveals that while searching through his room, guards found Dick’s attempt at a shiv. Right before the start of the trial, Perry fantasizes that he will be rescued by a big yellow parrot. At this point the trial begins, after a failed request to delay it due to the sale of the Clutter estate occuring the day before, and there is also a failed attempt to move the venue of the trial. A psychologist is called in on the early parts of the trial and asks both men to write an account of their lives, Perry takes advantage of this writing about the more traumatic experiences he has endured, while Dick takes a more relaxed approach in his writing. After the trial begins the first week is full of witness accounts, and the last to go is Dewey who gives the first true account of how the murders occured to the public, and shocks the courtroom with the fact that Dick had wanted to rape Nancy. Between sessions of court Perry is visited by his Army friend, who attempts to convert him to catholicism and fails. However the two men still share dinner and talk. The next week the defense makes its case, and the psychologist makes her case, stating that her opinion of Perry’s mental health is basically unsure. It is then revealed by Capote that the psychologist did know that Perry was truly a pad schizophrenic. This is basically mentioned to begin to argue against the validity of the death penalty and laws around it and the criminally insane. During this time Dick remains somewhat straightforward, cursing FLoyd Wells as he leaves the witness stand and continuing his expected patterns of behavior. Dick and Perry convicted of the crime, and sentenced to death at the end of the trial. In the later chapters Capote largely is making an argument about the validity of the death penalty and laws centering around the criminally insane, and he does this through Perry. While Dick is a straightforward, basically evil character, Perry is made a sympathetic character throughout the novel by Capote. The choice to do so is brought to the forefront in the latter part of the novel.