Despite receiving almost constant abuse at home from his wicked mother, David is not doing too badly at school. He's becoming more confident in his academic abilities and has even gotten himself involved in a competition to come up with a catchy slogan for the school newspaper.

David duly wins the competition, for which he is praised by his teacher, Mr. Ziegler. In fact, Mr. Ziegler is so impressed that he compliments David in a letter of praise, which he asks him to take home and show his mother. It's clear that Mr. Ziegler doesn't know David's mother, or he wouldn't have dreamed of doing such a thing.

David duly shows the letter to his mother. But instead of being impressed by the contents of the letter or expressing pride at her son's achievements, as any normal loving parent would, David's mother simply sees another opportunity to put him down and make him feel like he's less than nothing.

Laughing derisively at him, she tells David to his face that he's a nobody, an “It.” For so long, David's mother has dehumanized him with her vicious words and even more vicious actions. But she's never said anything like this before. And this isn't just the drink talking, either; it's perfectly clear to David that his evil mother actually hates him.