Chapter 12 Summary and Analysis

In 1939, Lucy begins dating Herb Orrison, who works for the B&O Railroad, but Russell is too self-absorbed to really think about it. Awkward with girls, he relishes tantalizing sex scenes in pulp detective fiction, while idolizing Laraine, who lives on his paper route. One day, Russell mentions Laraine, and Doris says she's a "cafe trotter". Russell doesn't know the term, but feels betrayed, imagining the horrible meanings behind it. He's also plagued with embarrassment, and never takes off his shirt to expose his skinny body. Swimming class is torture.

Russell throws himself into school, where he's in an advanced course at City College high school that will allow him to skip a year of college, though he knows he can't afford college. Russell becomes conceited and starts surpassing his mother's education. One day, he pretends to have trouble with a...