The effects of World War II continue to change life on the island of Trinidad, such as an American military base being built on the island. Many members of the Tulsi family decide to leave Shorthills and return to Port of Spain. Mr. Biswas and his family are accompanied by the family of Chinta and Govind, the Tuttle family, and the widowed Basdai as they return to Mrs. Tulsi's house in the capital city. The house is "never quiet" (275). Basdai moves into the servants' quarters in the house. She sets up a boarding house for the children of Shorthills who, due to the upheaval of the war, face difficulty in commuting to Port of Spain every day for school. The children stay in the boarding house to attend school, though they must deal with the strictness of Basdai, who is exercise her "flogging powers" (277) and discipline them for the slightest infraction.

At the newspaper, a new fund is set up to help the poor. The Deserving Destitute Fund is a "permanent" (279) campaign to provide financial relief to the poorest people. Mr. Biswas is made an investigator for the fund, which means that he travels across Trinidad in search of the poorest, most desperate people and he must "find one deserving destitute a day" (280).