Panel 1
A traveler sees a cheap bunk price painted at a doorway and enters with a bedroll.
Caption: The bed was cheap from the street.
KEEPER: One mark.
Panel 2
On each stair, the keeper adds a new chalk charge: roof, latch, blanket, breathing.
Caption: It became expensive one step at a time.
TRAVELER: Is the floor optional?
Panel 3
A night clerk carries the door board upstairs and adds every mandatory charge into one large total.
CLERK: The first price climbs all the stairs.
Panel 4
The complete total hangs at street level; the traveler chooses knowingly while crossed-out stair-fees litter the steps.
Caption: The price stopped improving as it approached the bed.
KEEPER: Ruins the surprise.