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1. Who is Dillon Freeman and why does he idolize his dead father?

Dillon Freeman is a fourteen-year-old boy who lives with his widowed mother. Dillon's father was a union organizer who died from a gunshot wound during a labor dispute. Dillon idolizes his father of whom he has no memory.

2. Who is Rachel Honaker and what are her feelings for Dillon?

He is very close to his cousin, Rachel Honaker, who is sixteen. The cousins love each other and there is a hint that their love could be illicit as they mature. As a six-year-old, Rachel told her mother she wanted to marry Dillon when she grew up.

3. Why does Rachel's mother not want Rachel to marry Dillon?

The mother tells her she cannot marry a cousin and strikes out in anger at her daughter. The mother, Flora, is adamant that her daughter will not wind up with trash, which is probably a reference to Dillon's parents not being married.

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