Pigeon Man

The story tells of a young girl who moves from rural Germany to Berlin and tries to adjust city life. From her bedroom window she has a view of a train station and tramp who always sits by the entrance surrounded by pigeons. Alexander, an aspiring young pianist, lives across the courtyard. The girl hears him play and is inspired to learn the piano herself. The two become friends and Alexander agrees to teach her the piano since her father is reluctant to pay for lessons and he reveals an old piano in cellar which she could practise on. Alexander’s mother is not so keen as it impinges on his practise time. She goes to the cellar to commiserate with the piano and discovers that the tramp has been using the cellar for sleeping in.
The girl develops her own interest in pigeons and conducts her own experiments to prove their intelligence and she marvels at the way the tramp appears to have a connection with them. She is concerned for the welfare of the old tramp and tries to persuade Alexander to help. She steals money from a guest at Alexander’s mother’s birthday party but Alexander is unsure of the morality of the theft.
The tramp, the reader learns, was a talented musician himself but pressure from outside led him to giving it up for a life of apparent freedom on the streets. He agrees to teach the girl on the old piano though she must not actually touch a key lest his hideaway be found out. She has a vision one night of the tramp playing the piano for her and the pigeons.
In the end, the reader discovers that Pigeon Man is what Alexander became and he has narrated the story through the eyes of Carolina.