Chapters 11 and 12, Boys, Daddy Summary and Analysis

After Sam leaves home, Ruth assumes more responsibility at home and around the store. She opens the store in the morning before school and then works in the store after school until ten o'clock. Her family life is dissatisfying at best and she has only one friend, Frances. She wants to fit in, but fitting in is impossible in her situation.

A black boy named Peter comes into the store quite often and tries to talk to Ruth. She falls in love with him and they start to find ways to see each other outside of the store, where her parents can't discover them.

Loving Peter seems to change Ruth's outlook on life. She feels happy and loved, so she doesn't worry so much about what other people think of her. She knows, though, that...