Jem thinks Boo wants to stay inside to avoid all of the bad things in life. One such thing is prejudice. There is a lot of talk about racial issues and blacks since Tom Robinson's case and death. Jem is very miserable from the case, and thinks Boo stays inside to prevent any pain such as this. Jem has many responsibilities and as he is getting older he is getting more and more. He has more responsibilities than normal because he has no mother; Jem thinks Boo stays inside to avoid responsibilities too. Jem thinks Boo is afraid of being unaccepted and after all of the stories about him, how could anyone have the courage to go out in public again, as a normal person. Jem feels like Boo because he feels rejected because he is a child and no one in Maycomb treats him like an adult and his age. He shows compassion for Tom and his father when the trial was taking place, just like Boo was concerned about Jem and saved him and Scout from Bob Ewell. Jem feels out of place and confused on how to act when dealing with these issues. Boo also feels out of place as well.