Both Eddie and Erleen are in positions where others might turn away from them in chapter 5. Eddie threw a knife at his friend; even though the switchblade wasn't open, it still caused a rift between them. Erleen is accused of shoplifting cosmetics that are in her bag. This ultimately doesn't have any impact on the friendship between John and Eddie or Rose and Erleen.

This shows how Will sees relationships. His mother's relationship with Erleen was happy and stable. Any problem between them would be confusing. However, the relationship between Eddie and John that Harlan is trying to fix isn't as reliable. Will reasons that because the two are cousins, they can't have a good relationship. Family members don't have good relationships in his world. When Eddie and John make up through Harlan, however, he has to consider that sometimes things can work out within families.

One thing that might stick out to a reader of this chapter is forgiveness. It's necessary to make almost any relationship work—whether with family or friends. A person reflecting on the chapter might think about times that they've had to forgive a friend or family member; they might consider times when they've needed forgiveness. For some people, there is a difference between how they forgive and ask for forgiveness from family versus from friends.