diff --git a/chapter05/gzip-inst.xml b/chapter05/gzip-inst.xml
index 9b578e42d..56802770f 100644
--- a/chapter05/gzip-inst.xml
+++ b/chapter05/gzip-inst.xml
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 <sect2>
 <title>Installation of Gzip</title>
 
-<para>Before Gzip is installed, the gzip patch file needs to be unpacked.</para>
+<para>Before Gzip is installed, the gzip patch file needs to be
+unpacked.  This patch file is necessary to avoid a conflict of variable
+names with glibc when compiling and linking statically.</para>
 
 <para><screen><userinput>patch -Np1 -i ../gzip-&gzip-version;.patch &amp;&amp;</userinput>
 <userinput>./configure --prefix=$LFS/usr &amp;&amp;</userinput>