This party – the "Bomb Party" of the novel's alternative title – fills the longest chapter of the book. The party is held outside sometime around New Year's Day, where enormous bonfires keep the guests warm around Dr. Fischer's lawn. The meal is exquisite. Following dinner, Dr. Fischer explains the rules for that night's experiment. He has hidden six crackers in a bran tub. Inside five of them are cheques for two million francs apiece, with the name left blank. Inside the sixth is a small bomb. The guests are expected to draw crackers and open them one by one.