four o'clock in the morning
One night there was given a ball , the `` benefit '' of `` One-eyed Larry , '' a lame man who played the violin in one of the big `` high-class '' houses of prostitution on Clark Street , and was a wag and a popular character on the `` Levee . '' This ball was held in a big dance hall , and was one of the occasions when the city 's powers of debauchery gave themselves up to madness . Jurgis attended and got half insane with drink , and began quarreling over a girl ; his arm was pretty strong by then , and he set to work to clean out the place , and ended in a cell in the police station . The police station being crowded to the doors , and stinking with `` bums , '' Jurgis did not relish staying there to sleep off his liquor , and sent for Halloran , who called up the district leader and had Jurgis bailed out by telephone at four o'clock in the morning . When he was arraigned that same morning , the district leader had already seen the clerk of the court and explained that Jurgis Rudkus was a decent fellow , who had been indiscreet ; and so Jurgis was fined ten dollars and the fine was `` suspended '' -- which meant that he did not have to pay for it , and never would have to pay it , unless somebody chose to bring it up against him in the future . Among the people Jurgis lived with now money was valued according to an entirely different standard from that of the people of Packingtown ; yet , strange as it may seem , he did a great deal less drinking than he had as a workingman . He had not the same provocations of exhaustion and hopelessness ; he had now something to work for , to struggle for .