Summary

In chapter 27, Agnes awakens after a night of debauchery. She asks Shuggie to embrace her, but instead he expresses his desire to move away from Pithead. Agnes dresses herself up and leaves the house with the remainder of her benefits money. While out, Agnes runs into Colleen. They get into an argument with one another. Colleen criticizes her for her pretensions, poor parenting, adulterous behavior, and the degrading influence she had had on Eugene. Agnes responds by telling her that she has had sex with Colleen’s husband.

That afternoon, the McAvennie children harass Agnes and Shuggie, yelling outside their front door and spitting in their mailbox. Francis McAvennie comes to call them off, and gives Shuggie a toy as a peace offering because he heard that he is moving. Francis offers to kiss Shuggie through the mailbox, but Shuggie holds a soiled...