In "Barn Burning," Faulkner presents a young boy on the verge of understanding morality, who feels disconnected from the wider social world he is starting to perceive. This feeling of isolation is deepened by Sarty's relationship with his father, who should ideally act as a moral mentor and a bridge into society for the child. However, because of his father's reckless and criminal actions, Sarty becomes the target of an insult early in the story, prompting him to attack a boy who, under different circumstances, might have been a schoolmate or friend. His father has instilled in him the belief that others are the "enemy." Mr. Harris, who files the arson charge, is therefore labeled as "our enemy ... hisn and ourn." In truth, Mr. Harris is simply a man wronged by a selfish troublemaker. The story concludes with Sarty alone on a hilltop at night, looking up at the stars. This scene highlights his loneliness and lack of social ties but also suggests his newfound freedom from his family, based on a moral insight that could eventually connect him with the larger social world.