We are told that the boys spend each Saturday morning sitting on the fire escape and watching the forbidden street below. Why is the street "forbidden" to them? What dangers are there for children playing in the neighborhood?

John and Roy have a habit of sitting on their fire escape every Saturday and watching the church members, whom they consider redeemed, and the others, whom they consider sinners, walk along the street. The neighborhood in which they live is filled with dangers, including the Harlem River, where a boy drowned once.