Rashid is is unpopular with his wife.

In Chapter One, Haroun returns from school in a downpour and sees Mrs. Sengupta standing upstairs crying. Inside his house, he finds his father crying as well and he learns that his mother has run off with Mr. Sengupta. In a fit of anger, Rashid breaks every clock in the house, stopping them at 11 o’clock sharp. The letter that Haroun’s mother leaves accuses Rashid of having no room for facts in his mind. Haroun becomes angry with his father and yells at him, “What’s the point of it? What’s the use of stories that aren’t even true?” Haroun realizes immediately that he should not have said that, and he blames himself when, soon afterwards, Rashid stands up in front of an audience to tell a story and no words come out.