Charity is a key virtue within the community, as demonstrated by the MacTeers, who care for Pecola while her father is incarcerated. The daughters feel a responsibility toward this troubled girl and are shocked by the disarray in the Breedlove family. However, when the news of Cholly's assault on Pecola spreads, the MacTeer girls' good intentions begin to waver. As Pecola's humiliation becomes public and the Breedloves' tragic situation becomes a subject of gossip, Claudia and Frieda start to distance themselves from Pecola. Looking back, Claudia, who is often self-reflective, admits that even though she and her sister cared for Pecola, they also took advantage of her: "All of us … felt so wholesome when we cleaned ourselves on her. We were so beautiful when we stood astride her ugliness." Claudia's acknowledgment of Pecola's perceived ugliness suggests that she may have absorbed the idealized image of Shirley Temple more than she realizes.