The sailboat, which Flyboy notices, goes for one thousand one hundred and ninety-five dollars. The cost is important because Miss Moore wants to teach the children about income inequality in the country. This is the main reason why she chooses to take them on a trip to one of the most expensive toy shops on Fifth Avenue. Before arriving at the shop, she has introduced them to basic concepts of commercial arithmetic so that when they get to the shop they will be able to understand the prices of the commodities offered there.

Miss Moore is a true educator. She knows the usefulness of real-life examples in the learning process. The change in the children once they get to the toy shop is dramatic. Through the toys and their steep prices, Miss Moore captivates the children and motivates them to further explore the concepts of income inequality, poverty, and money. Even the indifferent Sylvia is moved by what she sees at the shop.

At the end of the story, Sylvia confesses to herself that she needs to “think the day through.” Her friend Sugar, on the other hand, tells Miss Moore that her biggest takeaway from the trip is the glaring disparities between their household incomes and the costs of items in the shop. She says that “I don’t think that all of us here put together eat in a year what that sailboat costs.” Further, she concludes that “this is not much of a democracy if you ask me. Equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough, don’t it?” Miss Moore is happy with Sugar’s remarks because she knows that her lesson for the day has been successfully achieved; she has managed to provoke the children into a conversation on money, poverty, and their role, as young citizens of the country, in attaining economic freedom.