Chapter 6 Summary and Analysis

Dennis watches a group of young boys riding their bikes near the station. It reminds him of his childhood. Dennis Smith lived with his mother and brother in a fourth floor apartment in a tenement in New York City. He had always wanted a Schwinn bike as a kid but his mother couldn't afford it. His uncle gave his mother a TV. She was worried how she would hide it from the welfare inspector. Welfare recipients were not allowed to have TV's or phones. She hid the TV under a bedspread. When a new inspector came—a black man—Dennis was upset. His friends might see the man and give him a hard time. But after he left, his mother was happy. The new welfare inspector was going to recommend that they get more money so they could buy...