The march quickly took on the air of a revolution. At the Jean Bart shaft, strikers destroyed the installations, forcing the miners to the surface. The crowd of miners then headed for the other shafts. Everywhere they went, they engaged in acts of vandalism, despite their fear of the gendarmes. Tempers flared. The antagonism between Etienne and Chaval, who wants to break the strike, reaches a climax. They come to blows with knives. Catherine steps in and defends Chaval. Still in love, Etienne experiences this as a heartbreak.
