<p style='text-align: justify;'>Herrmann Simon thanks his son for his birthday wishes and urges him to keep the promises that he has made to him. He encourages Heinrich to find a friend at school. Minna expresses her concern about whether Heinrich has settled at school and whether he might need someone to confide in. She also recommends that Heinrich should find a close friend and suggests that in the meantime he could write to her if anything is worrying him.</p>