Mrs. Jones treats Roger kindly because she understands what he is going through.

Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse, but instead of trying to call the police on him, she takes him home and makes him something to eat.  She is nice to him, because she realizes that he is just a sad boy with no one to look after him and nowhere to go, and she has been where he’s been.

Mrs. Jones seems aware when she looks at Roger that he has no one at home. 

 "Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?"

"No’m," said the boy.

Once she has him home, she treats him very kindly.  It is clear that she has empathy for him.  She probably grew up under similar circumstances, not having anyone at home. 

When the conversation comes around to why Roger stole, Mrs. Jones shares her situation and it is clear that she empathizes with Roger wanting something he did not have.

The woman was sitting on the day-bed. After a while she said, "I were young once and I wanted things I could not get."

… I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son—neither tell God, if he didn’t already know…”

By the end of the conversation, Mrs. Jones has Roger’s trust, and he wants her to trust him.  He feels badly about what he has done, especially since she says he should have just asked for money, and he even asks her if she wants him to go to the store.  He clearly appreciates the mothering she is doing, telling him to wash his face and offering him food, and he also appreciates her opening up to him. 

Mrs. Jones seems to live alone, and she does not have any children.  Based on this example, she would be a good mother.  She is tough but firm, and she teaches Roger a good lesson about forgiveness and need.  She does not judge him, but instead takes care of him for an evening--which he needs more than new shoes.

In Langston Hughes's celebrated short story "Thank You, M'am," Mrs. Jones drags Roger to her home after he attempts to steal her purse and shows him kindness by making him feel comfortable and appreciated. Shortly after arriving at Mrs. Jones's home, she tells Roger to wash up, assures him that she will not call the police, and offers him a meal. Mrs. Jones's forgiving nature and hospitality make Roger feel at ease, and he passes on the opportunity to sprint out of the house. Mrs. Jones also sympathizes with Roger, does not judge him for his actions, and says she has also done things she regrets.

When Mrs. Jones enters the kitchen to prepare a meal, she leaves her purse behind, which demonstrates her trust in Roger. Roger purposely sits farther away from the purse and does not entertain the idea of stealing it. Roger refrains from stealing the purse because he desires to prove to Mrs. Jones that he is a trustworthy, moral adolescent. Mrs. Jones's hospitality and compassion have influenced Roger to dramatically change his outlook on life. Roger has recognized his mistake, learned to appreciate Mrs. Jones, and is determined to turn over a new leaf.

Mrs. Jones has successfully taught Roger the importance of earning material objects the right way and has influenced him to change his attitude by showing him compassion, sympathy, and hospitality. Roger learns that taking shortcuts only hurts upright, hardworking people like Mrs. Jones and realizes that he must change his ways.

When Mrs. Jones leaves him alone with her purse, Roger goes out of his way to not only be trustworthy, but also to ensure that his hostess can see that he is worthy of trust. Instead of snatching the purse which he had earlier tried to steal and making a run for it, he seats himself in a strategic position where he knows Mrs. Jones will be able to see him while she is preparing their meal.

He does this because Mrs. Jones's pragmatic kindness and candor has made him want to be a better person. In just a few minutes, he has been transformed from a boy willing to steal in order to buy a pair of shoes to a young man who wants to be known as trustworthy and reliable. He wants Mrs. Jones to be fully aware that her judgment of him is correct and that he is not going to run off.

Roger's behavior and attitude have undergone a seismic shift. Mere minutes before, he was a dishonest boy. Now, he is a young man proving himself worthy of respect. The fact that Mrs. Jones showed him kindness and trust makes Roger want to live up to her idea of the man he could be.

In Langston Hughes short story “Thank you, M’am,” Roger’s attitude changes from that of a petty thief to a young man who desires to demonstrate his trustworthiness and gratitude.

After Mrs. Jones decides not to contact the authorities, she drags him back to her room in the boarding house. With her immediate actions, she shows Roger an inkling of trust. When they arrive back in the room, she places her purse on the day-bed in plain sight and instructs Roger to wash up. It is his choice whether he grabs the purse and runs out the door, or whether he stays with Mrs. Jones. He decides to stay, and when he returns from the sink, he sits as far away from the purse as possible. Mrs. Jones and Roger have a conversation in which she reveals some details about her past, which Roger can relate to in his current situation as a young man growing up in the slums of New York City. His family life is non-existent, he is poor, and he wants new, blue suede shoes.

After this conversation, Roger realizes he wants to be trusted. He sees his mistake in attacking Mrs. Jones, who is making out a living by working long hours in a local beauty salon. Roger sees the value in her hard work and determination, and he is grateful for her kindness.

In another corner of the room behind a screen was a gas plate and an icebox. Mrs. Jones got up and went behind the screen. The woman did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse which she left behind her on the day-bed. But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye, if she wanted to. He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.

Mrs. Jones' kindness and respect, her lack of preaching, and her demonstration of understanding help Roger change from a child of desperation to a grateful young man.

It is important to understand that Roger's attempt at stealing Mrs. Jones's purse is informed by his socio-economic environment. He is obviously an impoverished and neglected child who wants something (a pair of blue suede shoes) that his caregivers cannot provide. He probably assumes that stealing the purse will be a quick action and that his desire will be satisfied. 

Roger's interaction with Mrs. Jones indicates that the rules of conduct when addressing elders have been inculcated into him. When she detains him, he speaks to her with respect. He does not swear or shout at her but is submissive and meekly responds to her questions. His responses are honest, and he does not want to offend her. When Mrs. Jones, for example, asks him why he wanted to steal her purse, he says that he didn't mean to. When she tells him that he is lying, he does not respond. 

Roger's demeanor is acquiescent, apologetic, and cooperative. He tells Mrs. Jones what she wants to know. When she threatens that he will not forget her once she is through with him, his struggle is to avoid whatever severe sanction he assumes she might impose on him. She manages, however, to drag him to her apartment and promises him food and a face wash.

Roger retains his obedient manner when they are in Mrs. Jones's apartment. He remains honest and easily tells her his name and why he wanted money. He gains new insight when she tells him that he could just have asked her for the money to buy the blue suede shoes he so desperately wants. Roger's respect for Mrs. Jones increases when she conveys some insight into herself. She gives him an idea of how she had, on numerous occasions, also acted inappropriately in the past.

During their conversation, Roger considers running away but decides against it. He wants Mrs. Jones to trust him and even offers to run an errand to the shop for her. He sits in a place where she can see him. The boy seems happy about the attention she is giving him and feels comfortable in her presence. During their wholesome meal, Mrs. Jones speaks about herself and does not ask Roger any embarrassing questions about himself or his life. Because of this, Roger's respect for her must, surely, have grown even more.

At the end of the story, Roger finds it difficult to express his gratitude to Mrs. Jones for giving him ten dollars for his shoes and, of course, her generosity in providing him a meal. Roger is probably the most grateful for the life lesson Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones has taught him. Such a gift is priceless.

Roger's treatment of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones mirrors his transformation as a character. At the beginning of the story, he is wrapped up in his own self-interests, unwilling to consider other people and their needs as equally valid to his own. His choice to attempt to steal Mrs. Jones' purse shows that, even though he calls her "m'am," he does not truly feel the respect that such a title suggests. His lying and attempts to escape show that he is only concerned about his own well-being and avoiding the consequences of his actions.

When Mrs. Jones brings him to her house to feed him dinner and takes a genuine interest in his well-being, however, Roger gains respect for her. He suddenly cares what she thinks of him, choosing not to run when he has the chance and hoping that she will trust him if he sits far away from her purse. Though he does little directly to Mrs. Jones, the actions he takes in her house are considerate of her feelings and opinion of him, showing that he has grown as a character. His respect is no longer superficial and the gratitude he feels when they part is genuine. The hope of Mrs. Jones and the reader is that this respect and consideration of others will stay with the boy from now on.

In "Thank You, Ma'am," by Langston Hughes, a young teenaged boy named Roger attempts to steal Mrs. Jones' purse, but Mrs. Jones, grabs him and takes him home with her. At first Roger thinks she is going to take him to jail, but once he realizes she is not, he relaxes a little. He shows her respect when she leaves him alone to make dinner. Her purse is right there, and he could easily snatch it and make a run for it, but he does not. At this point, Roger wants Mrs. Jones to trust him, even though earlier he was not very trustworthy.

"But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye, if she wanted to. He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now." (Hughes 3)

At dinner, Roger respectfully listened to Mrs. Jones as she told him about her job and the women she served in a hotel beauty shop. He wished he could do more than just say, "Thank you" when she gave him money for those shoes he so desperately wanted. He learned a big lesson on the day he met up with Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.

Mrs. Jones uses three approaches to show Roger how to be honest. First, she treats him like she's his mother, albeit a stern and caring one. When he tries to steal her purse, she kicks him in the butt then picks him up and shakes him. She refuses to let him go, instead making him stoop and pick up her purse. She then asks if he'll run if she turns him loose; when he says yes, she matter-of-factly says that she won't release him, then. When she gets him to her home, she tells him to wash his face and suggests he comb his hair to be presentable while she cooks. She's asked if he has someone at home to cook for him and make him clean his face, and he says no.

She doesn't pity him. Instead, she treats him like a young man who needs a firm hand to guide him.  

Finally, she shows him respect and trust and he is moved to show her respect and trust in return. Thus, by the end of the story, he calls her--a woman who was merely a target of opportunity an hour before--"Ma'am."

There is a marked contrast to the way Roger behaves in Mrs. Louella Bates Washington Jones' home compared with his earlier attempt to steal her purse. The reader learns that Roger has little supervision at home, that he has learned the ways of "the street" to compensate for being forced to look out for himself while still a child. Mrs. Jones shows care and concern for Roger. She mothers him, telling him to wash his face before she feeds him, knowing he has not eaten. She respects him by not asking embarrassing questions.

Most important, she allows him to prove he is trustworthy in the only way one can--she trusts him. In return, Roger wants to live up to the kind of person she shows him he can be. He is polite and thoughtful. And he is grateful, which is why at the end of the story, he wants to say more than "thank you, ma'am."

In Thank You, M'am by Langston Hughes, when Roger attempts to steal the purse of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, and after bungling his attempt and being dragged by his collar along the road, he is not expecting Mrs. Jones to treat him sympathetically. He wants to get away because he thinks that she is going to escort him straight to jail which is his first question to her. However, Mrs. Jones has noticed that he looks neglected and in need of some parental guidance and advice which she intends to share with him, especially as Roger was the one who interrupted her walk home when she was minding her own business. 

As the story progresses, Roger's attitude changes and he begins to relax a little when Mrs. Jones treats him with a respect he was not anticipating. She does not treat him like someone who has just stolen her "pocketbook" and he does appreciate that. He decides not to run, even when an opportunity presents itself which is the first sign of his gratitude because he is still not sure if she will take him to jail and instead he offers to run an errand to the shop if she needs anything. This is Roger's way of saying thank you for her kindness so far. Roger's honesty is also indicative of how grateful he is; from Mrs. Jones's behavior, honesty is clearly something that she values. Roger's recognition that a "thank you" is not really sufficient as he "wanted to say something else" also reveals how grateful he is.