Here readers learn that Tom’s animal cruelty is not merely hypothetical, directed only toward rocking horses and other inanimate objects: he tortures captured birds to death. His father and uncle have modeled and reinforced this behavior, a revelation indicating the importance of older relatives to teaching children values. Agnes makes no headway when she tries to appeal to Tom’s empathy by explaining that the birds feel pain or when she threatens Tom with religious punishment. Her failure to get through to him suggests that Tom has been poorly educated in empathy and religion. It also suggests that Tom will feel free to disregard what Agnes says if it contradicts his father or uncle because she, a female employee, is lower status than they.