Bone grapples with guilt over her situation, thinking she must be completely bad simply because she exists: "I lived in a world of shame. I hid my bruises as if they were evidence of crimes I had committed. I knew I was a sick disgusting person." When Aunt Raylene notices the welts on Bone's legs, Bone tries to stop her from telling anyone. She feels a surge of fear: "Suddenly I was terrified, unreasonably, horribly terrified." Aunt Raylene promptly informs her brothers about what she found. When Anney is asked if Glen would ever harm her, she replies, "He'd never raise a hand to me," and looks down. Despite hating herself for not protecting Bone, Anney tries to defend both Glen and herself, insisting she loves him and that he cares for all of them. Bone attempts to excuse her mother by saying, "I made him mad. I did."