At the end of the chapter Jem talks about how he wants everyone in Maycomb to be equal,"That's what i thought too, when i was your age. If they're all alike why do they go out of the way to despise each other? Scout I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley stayed shut in his house all the time... it's because he wants to stay inside." That view from Jem on Maycomb leaves hopelessness in the readers mind.
Jem mentions that their family has not a dime attached to them stating that they are poorer and in a worse financial situation than it appeared