When Arnold first goes to Reardan, he’s very nervous and he thinks going to get beat up by everyone. He thinks everyone is better then him. He acts like he has money so he won’t get beat up or be embarrassed. Everyone else has money so Arnold thought he showed lie about having money. In the chapter “Dance, Dance, …show more content…
When he doesn’t have a ride, he just walks because he doesn’t want anyone to feel obligated to help him out. He doesn’t want his friends to pity him. He’s dealt with poverty and being poor all his life and nobody ever minded. He doesn’t want anyone to mind now. People wouldn’t treat him the same and that’s what he’s afraid of. Arnold loves all of his new friends and he’s one of the star players on the basketball team. He thinks that’s all going to change if they all find out that he is actually poor.
Arnold lies about being poor to fit in. He doesn’t want to be the odd one out. He thinks that everyone is going to beat him up or treat him differently. Arnold did what he thought he had to do to fit in at Reardon. But everyone still accepted him when they found out he was poor. Arnold needed to realize that everyone would accept him for who he is and not someone that he thinks everyone would