1. The boy sees the de Spain mansion as a place of peace and dignity, associating it with a courthouse. His father sees it as a product of “Nigger sweat.” Are these views reconcilable? Does the father, for all his ruthlessness, raise a valid criticism of de Spain that the boy overlooks?
   
2. In the end, the boy heads into the woods, apparently abandoning his newly widowed mother, his sisters, and his aunt. Is this decision justifiable, or does he still have a responsibility to his family? By moving on, is he repeating the pattern of escape established by his father?