How does the setting of the story Small Steps by Louis Sachar affect the characters?

There are several important elements to consider about the book's setting. Most of the action takes place in Austin, Texas, where Armpit and his friends and family live. Most specifically, it takes place in an underprivileged part of the city, where the atmosphere is one of lingering, ever-present, under the surface desperation to improve life. It's important to note that the narrative never hits this too hard, but it is there - in the passing descriptions of the city and the people whom Armpit encounters. It's certainly present in Armpit himself, and an important component of his desire/determination to prove his life. In any case, the relative lack of prosperity in Armpit's home setting makes the setting for his romantic getaway with Kaira (the beautiful, multi-cultural, exciting community of San Francisco) even that more attractive and / or compelling.

Another important element of the piece's setting is its placement in time and its broader placement in space - specifically, the contemporary United States, hyper-focused as it tends to be on celebrity (of the sort that Kaira DeLeon seems to enjoy - think Britney Spears) and/or on expansive financial success (of the sort desired by El Genius). Here, in this setting, can be found a relationship with the novel's thematic consideration of the allure of wealth. On some level, celebrity and the attraction to it are, after all, all about the appeal of wealth, status and influence. Kaira herself, for all she says she wants to be normal, certainly behaves throughout the narrative as though it hasn't been that much of a hardship to get used to the celebrity lifestyle. This is a lifestyle to which El Genius would like to become even more accustomed and to which Armpit admits being attracted himself.