Rascal never concentrates on the experiences and feelings of young people at the expense of adults. Mr. North may be a distracted, possibly even an irresponsible, parent, but his primary appearance in the book occurs when he realizes the pain his son feels over caging Rascal, and he tries to relieve that pain with a two-week camping trip. Even the neighbors, whose insistence on Rascal's imprisonment makes them the villains in the work, find Sterling obedient despite his reluctance. In this regard, Rascal is especially responsible and sensitive to important matters of maturity in young people.