In A Child Called "It," around Halloween, the abuse David endures from his mother has grown even more horrific. He isn't able to obtain much food at school, even with his usual tactics, and his mother forces him to vomit when he gets home so that she can inspect the contents of his stomach. She refuses to allow David the opportunity to join the family for dinner, and he is sometimes forced to sit out in the cold while they eat. David is also required to find some jobs mowing lawns so that he can give the money to his mother.

David's mother becomes increasingly abusive, sometimes using a dog's chain to beat him. She also uses a broom handle to hit him so hard in the backs of the legs that David falls to the floor. In a particularly cruel move, she forbids David's father from speaking to David.

At this point, David begins to feel rather hopeless. He no longer believes that a "Superman" is going to rescue him from his torment, and he recognizes that his father's promises to save him are all a "hoax" as well. David resigns himself to living "one day at a time" in order to survive his ongoing abuse.