The themes in this chapter are importance of education, crime, drugs, overcoming obstacles, and life choices.
Importance of education/Crime:
"Woody thought about White Boy, his boy from the neighborhood, who picked up a job working at a restaurant called Poor Folks. He was tired of school and decided joining the workforce was a better option." (Page 109)
Usually, when a teen surrounds themselves with friends who tend to get into trouble and not place an emphasis on their education, they tend to go down the same path as their friends due to peer pressure. They don't think about how beneficial school is to their future, because their friends don't. If their friends say that they are "tired" of school and drop out, chances are they will drop out too. Despite this, Woody was still the only person out of his group of friends to graduate from high school. He stayed the course, unlike his friends, therefore he will have a better future then White Boy will.
"Not surprisingly, without a high school diploma or job training-and with a criminal record-Wes found it almost impossible to find a job to support his growing family." (Page 110)
Almost all employers, when performing background checks, will automatically reject an applicant who has a criminal record. If they don't have a high school diploma or job training, that doesn't bode well for the applicant either. Those three factors show the employer that the applicant will not be a good addition to the staff. If Wes 2 had stayed in school and out of trouble, he would have been able to find a job, and it would be a lot easier on his family.
Drugs:
"There were over 100,000 known addicts in Baltimore, and the real number was arguably higher…With a demand like that, and an ample supply, it was hard not to make money." (Pages 111-112)
Anytime the number of addicts is that big, lots of money will be made. Addicts will often blow all of their (and their family members) cash on drugs in order to get their fix. The combination of the number of addicts, plus the money they spend in order to get high, equals a lot of cash. All around a community or city, drugs are seen and smelled everywhere by everyone.
Overcoming Obstacles/Life choices:
"Three years ago I'd been one of the insubordinate kids first entering the gates of Valley Forge. In an ironic turn, I was now one of the ones in charge of them."(Page 115)
Some kids refuse to change. Even when they enter a strict environment such as Valley Forge or any other military school, they don't buy into their school's philosophy. They continue acting up and causing their elders problems. Others, such as the author Wes, realize that they need to change. The obstacle in this case is their own attitude. In order to get their life back on track, they needed to reflect on their life, which often resulted in a change of attitude. In Wes's case, he overcame his negative attitude to lead people who were once like him.
" My assailant was unknown, unnamed, and in a car. This was not a fair fight, and the best-case scenario was nowhere near as probable as the worst-case scenario. If I was successful, who knew how the fight would've ended? If I failed, who knew how the fight would have ended?" (Page 121)
Even at a military school, situations that arise frequently at home can occasionally be found on campus. The itch to fight can still linger inside the most nonviolent person when faced with a situation like that. They have to make an important decision: either fight their attacker or walk away calmly. That decision can determine their peers and elders' respect from them as well as where their life could potentially be headed. Wes chose not to fight, and because of that he maintained his respect from his peers and elders. If he had chosen to fight, he could have been expelled.
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