Maycomb's society is a highly prejudiced one. The people in Maycomb judge citizens on things such as race, rank in society and wealth. This instinct to judge people is strong, so strong that Maycomb's society is unable to see what a person is in reality. The Ewells and the Negroes are two such examples of people who are judged on their surroundings. In reality,environment gives way for the development of character, not race nor color.

The Ewells hardly live any better than the Negroes. They live on the edge of the dump, the previous home of the Negroes. The Ewells are dirty people mainly because they are scavengers who salvage things from the dump. The Ewells are uneducated, poor and are unaminously considered "white trash."

The Negoes live similarly to the Ewells. They live in the quarters behind the dump. Like the Ewells, they are poor. On the other hand, t6hey, unlike the Ewells, are sanitary and semi-educated. They are religious people who read the Bible. They have tidy, clean homes. Sweet, clean aromas of cooking food are usually coming from their homes. And yet, the Negroes are considered to be below the Ewells in social status and are treated as inferior.

The Ewells and the Negroes are two completely different types of people.Bob Ewell is arrogant and irresponsible. He is usually drunk and dirty. He is a racial person. Tom Robinson is a kind, hardworking person. he is respectable and honest. His ways are humble.

Mayella Ewell is a friendless person who strives for attention. She has a low self esteem. Her actions and words are dishonest. She is a frustrated,lonely person. Despite her environment, she strives to preserve some beauty in her life. This is evident by her flowers. Calpurnia is a hardworking woman. She is respectable and honest, like Tom. She is able to read well and educates herself. She upholds her morals and values.

Maycomb society is color prejudiced and racial. They are blinded by their prejudice. They see Tom Robinson as guilty because of his color and ignore the lack of evidence. Negroes are considered inferior to the Ewells just because the Ewells are white.

It is upbringing and environment that defines a person and nothing else. It is ironic that though Negroes are better people they are considered inferior because of the color of their skin.