Chapter 12 Summary

Phony lived a hard life as a child. When he was ten years old he started stealing from people and holding them up on the street. By the time he was thirteen he started selling drugs and spending time in Juvenile Detention. He was passed around from foster home to foster home and taught to smile all the time. Once people turned their back, he would run away, but always kept that smile when he was face to face with the adults.

By the time he turned sixteen he was serving time on a Federal narcotics farm. He was the youngest kid there and learned to act scared and innocent. This was where his nickname came from, "Phony". His civilian record was incredibly long, so the probation officer gave him a fresh start by writing letters in hopes that he could get in...