Part 4, Chapter 17 Summary

It appears that Colin enjoys writing poetry so much that he writes a poem instead of an answer to one of his test questions in Mr. Platt's class. Mr. Platt, thereafter, calls him "Bard Colin" and speaks to him as though he were Shakespeare.

Stephens, one of Colin classmates, receives the same kind of barely passing marks that Colin does. Readers begin to see a different side of Stephens. He's not just someone with whom to empathize, he's a boy who likes to steal things and sell them to his classmates. Stephens tries to talk Colin into first purchasing a fountain pen and then being his partner in crime by going to stores and stealing. Colin refuses to get involved.

Colin runs into Stafford and starts a new chapter in his life. Stafford introduces him to two girls, Audrey and Marion...