Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones is a strong and savvy woman who is able
to wrestle Roger to the ground when he attempts to steal her purse. Although she is physically
large and powerful, she has a tender heart. Rather than bringing Roger to the police, she forces
him to go home with her, where she feeds him dinner and gives him $10 to buy the shoes he
desperately wants. She says that she understands him as she wanted things in her youth that she
could not have, and she committed acts she wouldn't want anyone to know about. Though she forces
Roger to wash his face, she isn't preachy. She is sympathetic and generous, and she shares what
she has with the boy. She cares about what happens to him and advises him to be careful in the
future. She won't even really allow Roger to say thank you, as she closes the door in his face
as he is trying to thank her for the money.
Roger is about 14 or 15 and is
thin and frail. Though he tries to steal Mrs. Jones's purse, he is clearly afraid of her and
attempts to get away from her at first. He isn't trusting, and he tells her that he has no one
at home. He clearly has a difficult life, and he is amazed that Mrs. Jones will simply give him
the money to buy the shoes he wants. He is apparently not used to having sympathetic adults
around him or to getting what he wants, which is why he resorts to using force. However, he
isn't really the forceful type, and Mrs. Jones senses right away that Roger isn't a bad kid but
a kid who simply needs attention.
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