When Mickey says, ‘fuck off,’ the other kids all gasp and tell him that he is going to hell and we can see how sensitive Mickey is as he begins to cry. Linda comes between him and the other kids showing her instinct to stick up for Mickey. When Sammy argues with Mickey, Linda threatens to tell her mum why her money and cigarettes go missing when Sammy is in the house. This again highlights Sammy’s troublesome nature.
When the other kids leave, Linda consoles Mickey who is scared about dying and they run off to collect Edward as they have an air gun that they are going to use in the park.
When Edward agrees to go with Mickey and Linda, they tell him that when they get caught by the police they say funny things to the policemen, like telling them that their name is Adolf Hitler and if they ask what they’re doing, they say, ‘waiting on the 92 bus.’ Edward is fascinated by the duo and is eager to go with them.
Mrs Lyons panics when she sees that Edward is gone and she calls her husband at work, who is very angry that she has brought him black because she hasn’t seen Edward for an hour. Mrs Lyons begs him to allow the family to move away to a different house so that she can get Edward away from Mickey. Mr Lyons thinks that she is having some type of mental breakdown and we see how much she has changed when she rushes to remove the shoes that Mr Lyons has placed on the table. This is in stark contrast to the woman who laughed at Mrs Johnstone at the beginning of the play for being superstitious. The narrator reminds us that she cannot run away from her problems by repeatedly singing to her that ‘the devil’s got your number, you know he’s right behind you…’
The scene moves back to the trio in the park who are shooting at the statue, with Mickey and Edward missing the target and Linda showing her ability with the gun. They get bored shooting and decide to break some windows when a policeman enters and asks what they are doing. Edward, remembering what he was told, replies, ‘waiting on the 92 bus.’ When he is asked his name, he says, ‘Adolf Hitler,’ and all three are brought away crying.
The next two scenes highlight the issue of social class in the play. The policeman arrives at Mrs Johnstone’s first and treats her harshly telling her that her son was about to ‘commit a serious crime.’ He tells her that she doesn’t want to end up in court again and he also mentions the trouble that Sammy has been in. It is clear that Mrs Johnstone and her family have a reputation that she can’t escape and her song indicates that she would love to move away where no one knows her.
The scene moves quickly to Edward’s home and there is a clear contrast between the treatment of Edward and the treatment of Mickey. The policeman begins his conversation with Mr Lyons by saying, ‘it was more of a prank really.’ He also tells Mr Lyons that he would advise him to keep his son away from the likes of Mickey. ‘Make sure he sticks with his own kind.’ The two boys did exactly the same thing but are treated differently by the policeman. This shows the effect that social class has on society.
The scene ends with Edward being told that he is moving to a different house and he goes to Mrs Johnstone’s to say goodbye to Mickey. Mrs Johnstone asks him about his life and how he is treated. Before he leaves, she gives him a locket with a picture of Mickey and Mrs Johnstone that he must keep secret.
- How does Linda stick up for Mickey? Why do you think she does this?
- What two things do Mickey and Linda tell Edward to do if they are caught by a policeman? Do you think that they would do this or are they making it up?
- Why does Mrs Lyons want to move?
- Describe what happens when the policeman catches the three of them about to break windows.
- How does the policeman deal with Mickey and Edward differently? Do you think this is fair considering they both did the same thing? What does this show about society?
- The policeman tells Mr Lyons that his son shouldn’t be hanging around with Mickey and Linda, do you feel that this is fair?
- What does Mrs Johnstone give Edward before he leaves? Why do you think she does this?