The book, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, is a collection of vignettes about a young girl named Esperanza growing up in Chicago. Esperanza's story reveals her experiences as a Latina girl, her perspective of the world around her, and the very real innocence we all share as children.

In the chapter titled "Edna's Ruthie," Esperanza reveals that Ruthie is the only adult who likes to play.

It seems like Ruthie is married, but she is separated from her husband and is sleeping on her mother's couch. Her mother, Edna, happens to own the entire building next to Esperanza's home. Ruthie is staying with her mother until her husband comes "to take her home." However, it seems this day will never come.

Ruthie seems to be a dreamer. She loves the sky, day or night, and finds beauty in every situation. She goes on shopping trips with the kids and plays cards with them. She even asks them to buy her candy. But she also doesn't seem to have much confidence.

It's unclear if Ruthie's mental capabilities are stunted or if she is simply paralyzed by fear/depression from her failed marriage. It's also unclear what's true about Ruthie's life and what's simply another childlike fantasy. All of these unknowns seem to play into the fact that Ruthie is the only adult who likes to play with the kids. She doesn't want to do adult things. Not much else is known about Ruthie except for the fact that Esperanza considers her a friend.