Chapter 6 Summary

The next day Father announces that the family is going shopping, and Charlie assumes they are going to the dump. That is where Father picks up most of the hardware for his numerous inventions and contraptions. The family rarely visits stores. They grow most of their own food, and there's always the risk of truant officers if the children are seen in stores during the day. Charlie secretly wants to go to school. He feels like a freak when he sees other kids. He also prefers the taste of commercial cakes like Twinkies to his mother's banana bread. The younger children are excited to be shopping, as well. Jerry plans to look at ten-speed bikes, and the twins are hoping for an ice cream cone.

To Charlie's shock, the family actually goes to a K-mart in Springfield, a nearby city. There, they purchase...