The final chapter of The Metamorphosis commenced with a pitiful description of the wounded Gregor.  For over a month, Gregor had limped about, dragging his insect body around the scarce space of his cramped room, trying to disregard the rotting apple, still undeniably and painfully embedded into his back.  The only consolation was the fact that Gregor’s family was no longer afraid of him due to his weak condition.  So, Gregor was allowed a view into the living room where he could watch his family and think of the life he could have lived.

Yet, the Samsa home dynamic had changed irrevocably.  No longer was Gregor’s father passive and weak; instead, he had taken a habit to wearing his stiff official uniform all the time, even sleeping in the uncomfortable clothes. Gregor’s mother and sister were forced to take care of the cranky and inflexible head of the family that was Mr. Samsa. 

In addition, there was no longer any time for the busy and impatient Grete to clean Gregor’s room, which got successively dirtier and dustier.  Before long, the four-walled area was cluttered with rejected items and layers of grime.  None of this affected the already depressed Gregor who lounged unhappily in the filth.  Not only this, his mother and her futile attempts at trying to clean Gregor’s room (in order to show a bit of love and care to her bug son) were reprimanded by Grete who is in complete charge of the care and condition of Gregor.  Adding to Gregor’s sorry life was the screeching, insensitive cleaning woman that everyday, mocked Gregor’s existence, disturbing his peace, calling him an “old dung beetle” and flinging things into his room without warning.

One night, Gregor, having not eaten for weeks, if not months, was watching his family eat dinner with the three roomers, all highly critical gentlemen, “obsessed with cleanliness.”  After the dinner, Grete was invited to play her violin for the bearded gentlemen, and at the sound of the beautiful music, Gregor perked up, drawn with wonder and awe to the harmonious notes.  As the bearded men huddled together, shaking their heads with dissatisfaction, Gregor became physically attracted to the music and slowly and painfully made his humble way to his sister’s playing. 

Immediately, the music stopped as Gregor was discovered once more.  The three men were curious at the presence of this insane beast that resided in the same apartment as they, but were beaten back into their rooms by Mr. Samsa.  The result of Mr. Samsa’s show of domination was the tenants’ refusal to pay their rent, something that angered Gregor’s father immensely.  In a short discussion after Mr. Samsa’s return to the living room, Grete provided her opinion, and her words were harsh: “We must try to get rid of it.”  Gregor’s heart broke at the sound of this, and thus, voluntarily returned to his room.  Grete’s response was to shout with gratitude and immediately lock Gregor up.

The next morning, Gregor was dead, having spilled out his last breath alone, dirty, and starved.  The cleaning lady discovered him this time, shoving him before realizing that Gregor had departed from Earth.  The Samsa family cried for a moment at the death of their son, but, with the departure of the three roomers as well as that of the hideous cockroach in their living quarters, the Samsas were full of hope and joy for the future.  The last line of the novella suggests that perhaps the next person to be objectified would be Grete…