Chapters 7-8: Don't Tell the Neighbors, Abu Jean, Does This Please You? Summary and Analysis

Shadid contends with a sour neighbor - who also happen to be a cousin, though the familial bond means little: Wissam demands Shadid pay cleaning expenses on Wissam's house, dusty from the construction work. Shadid worries that another neighbor, Massoud Samara, will try to claim the fringes of Shadid's land, or cut down a fig tree from his grandmother's time. When he worries he has been too aggressive in fighting off Massoud's demands, Shibil educates him about the true meaning of aggressive; anything short of calling someone the "brother of a whore" is still polite.

All of Marjayoun thinks Shadid is crazy, rich, or an American spy. He fields bizarre requests - such as one from a local grocer...