In "MASTER HAROLD" . . . and the boys, Hally's relationship with both Sam and Willie was close when Hally was young. Hally would often hide under the bed in Sam and Willie's room so that his mother would not find him. Sam and Willie would play games with Hally and tell him stories. Hally would teach Sam the lessons that he learned in school. When Hally was young, he did not really understand the reason why he was not allowed in Sam and Willie's room, which his mother would refer to as "the servants' quarters." But now that Hally is seventeen, he understands that racial segregation is woven into South African society. However, Hally still desperately wants a father-figure, and Sam has been that father-figure for him all along. Hally wants to continue to be close with Sam and Willie, but he is torn by the strictures of society and the racist teachings of his father, causing distance in the relationship.