The story would eventually reveal that Montag himself is in possession of books. This makes him equally guilty with the woman whom they just burned for the same crime. On top of that, Clarisse, the girl who helps him find all the questions he needs to see the truth right in front of him, suddenly disappears.
The guilt, the longing and the bothering image of a burning woman, would knock any normal person out of his senses. Thus, a time off from work would be the next logical step. In this case, the time off signals the turning point, not only in the events that would follow but also in the character development of Montag. This is also the part of the story which shows the effects of society, reality and Clarisse to the decisions that he will make afterwards.
There are a couple of reasons why Montag gets sick and needs to take some time off work. First of all, during the previous night, Montag and the other firemen set fire to a woman who refused to hand over to her books. This incident has a profound effect on Montag because he starts to think that there must be something powerful contained inside books. Otherwise, why would a woman choose to sacrifice her own life?
In addition, the disappearance of Clarisse contributes to Montag's sickness. Just as Montag is going to bed, Mildred tells him that Clarisse was hit by a car four days earlier. The next morning, Montag wakes up feeling unwell. As we have seen in the story, Clarisse exerts a powerful influence over Montag because she shows him a different way of living. She makes Montag question his sense of happiness and how he feels about being a fireman.
Montag's sickness, therefore, comes about as a result of these two events and demonstrates to the reader that Montag is undergoing a considerable change in his character and values.
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