All of this is in preparation for Slave Auction. Things that need to happen:

• Everybody needs to move to the new house, and M needs to get a lot more slaves. As the first one, slave is M’s head-slave, which explains why he had so much authority in Slave Auction.
• M needs to get Buck and the other animals.
• Slave needs to fall from M’s good graces and get made the bitch—or, perhaps he does it because M wishes it.
• Slave needs to fall in love with Grace.
• Slave needs to be hardened into the guard.