Chapter 11 Summary

Left to herself, Ellen begins to figure out her family's secrets:

1) Her grandmother kept tabs on Ellen and her father through Ellis and Rudolph until Ellis died, leaving the full burden on Rudolph, who shared everything he knew with Ellen's grandmother. In exchange, Ellen's grandmother pays him when she sends money to Ellen's dad.

2) In the process, Ellen's grandmother got the farm and all the land off Rudolph—Ellen isn't sure how she does it—but she knows that it transpired once she ran away. No longer having to feel guilty for starving a child, Ellen's grandmother started putting less and less money in the envelopes so that Ellen's dad wasted it very quickly. In that way, she confused him and got him at her mercy, until he had a "stroke" and died.

Ellen's grandmother's flu gets worse and Ellen tries her best...