- Moscow is slowly being rebuilt.
- It’s hard to describe, and Tolstoy goes for the old anthill analogy.
- First the peasants and looters come back.
- The more looters there are, the harder it is to just chaotically loot, and the more things somehow organize themselves.
- Then others start coming back: artists, officials, some homeowners, doctors, priests, and tons of carpenters looking for work.
- Slowly but surely, city life is restored.