Summary

Sheppard, a social worker, and his ten-year-old son, Norton, have a fairly prosperous lifestyle even though Sheppard’s wife died a year earlier. Sheppard, though, feels like his son is ungrateful for everything they have. He is unresponsive, disinterested, and uncompassionate. Sheppard tells his son Rufus Johnson, a fourteen-year-old crippled delinquent, was hunting around a garbage can for food. Sheppard recalls his time working with Johnson. He thinks Johnson is the most intelligent boy he’s ever known, but Johnson doesn’t realize his full potential. When Johnson and Sheppard finished their sessions, Sheppard gave him a key to his house because he trusted him. One day when Norton was home alone, Johnson came in and started wandering around the house. When Sheppard came home, he said Johnson could stay with them.

Days later, the three are upstairs looking through a telescope...