Summary

Chapter 6 flashes back to 1985. Patty cleaned up the mess Ben left from dyeing his hair. She felt bad for Ben because she knew how difficult it must be for him to grow up in a house with all women. She thought back to the time where Runner, her father, had briefly stopped by. He charmed the children, but he didn’t stick around for long, and he stole from Patty when he left. Patty blamed Runner for all the trouble on the farm, since he never knew what he was doing. When things got especially tough he just gave up and she was never able to recover. A debt collector, Len, showed up and told Patty that she was going to lose the farm unless she came up with more money.

Analysis

The theme of Appearances is demonstrated in Chapter 6. The chapter is a...