When he returns late at night from his job as a restaurant cashier, he eases off his shoes and climbs into his allotted space. He often takes out a knife and whittles flowers from potatoes, practicing to be a chef. Or he hunches over a small notebook, composing Chinese aphorisms that are a kind of mantra for survival: "As long as you are courageous and hold your head up high," he writes, "bitter juice will turn into sweet wine."

When the water is deep, go across by wading;
When it is shallow, lift your hem and cross
Ode 5
Confucius
The Analects