When Montag arrives at Faber's apartment, Faber is fearful and reluctant to let his visitor in. We see this most clearly through Montag's observations:
Faber peered out looking very old in the light and very fragile and very much afraid.
Faber's reaction is understandable, considering that Montag is a fireman and Faber is a former professor who mourns the loss of books from his society.
But, once Faber sees that Montag has brought a book with him, his appearance and demeanour undergo an instant transformation:
Then his eyes touched on the book…and he did not look so old and not quite as fragile. Slowly his fear went.
The book, then, has a rejuvenating effect on Faber. Once he sees it under Montag's arm, he realises that Montag is not acting in his usual capacity as a fireman and that he is not under any sort of suspicion. Instead, Faber senses that Montag is experiencing some sort of crisis and he invites him into his apartment. This is an important step in their relationship: it is the beginning of a friendship that will blossom into a shared desire to bring about the destruction of the fireman system.
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