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Shaped by his impoverished world, Byron is streetwise, rough, and determined to
control his life with Mark. This lifestyle is described in Byron’s words: “I was the hustler
and Mark was the thief. We were a great pair” (Hinton 25). At first, Byron believes he
understands the harshness of reality because of his difficult circumstances: a hospitalized
mother, money problems, and gang violence. Determined to mature himself and find
stability in life, Byron confidently pursues a relationship with Cathy, achieves income
beyond hustling pool, aids Cathy’s troubled brother “M&M,” and resolves his growing
separation with criminally-inclined Mark.

However, every attempt Byron makes to manage his increasingly adult world
provides traumatic consequences which prove to Byron his limited knowledge about life.
When job-hunting to pay for his mother’s medical bills proves fruitless, Byron and Mark
return to hustling pool. This solution leads to the sudden murder of Byron’s older friend
and bartender Charlie. Byron also fails to balance his relationships with Mark and Cathy.
Consequently, after failing to help M&M with his destructive addiction, Byron loses
Cathy. Byron remarks this separation with unexpected apathy: “I wondered impersonally
why I didn’t love her anymore. But it didn’t seem to matter” (Hinton 153). Byron’s
attempt at helping Mark by ending his drug dealing with a police call is rewarded with
Mark being arrested and replying, “Why are you doing this to me, buddy?” (Hinton 148).
All of Byron’s plans are shattered in the face of traumatic reality.

Byron’s economic and mentorship statuses become the key details that influence
this trauma-based transition into adulthood. Specifically, Byron’s environment shapes his
trauma, including the subsequent, enforced lessons on reality. Byron’s economic situation
is revealed in his words: “So that was how we [he and Mark] lived, stealing stuff and

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