Harry Tillian and his friends have reached the age where the difficult transition from boyhood to adulthood often begins. Now that they're twelve years old, they feel all grown up and develop different interests from the ones that they pursued when they were younger.

In the not-too-distant past, Harry and his pals would regularly hang out at Mr. Tillian's candy and nut shop. After school, Harry would stop by the shop and watch his old man at work. Many of his friends would also drop by to purchase some penny candy or sample the latest batch of Mr. Tillian's roasted peanuts.

However, once the boys hit the age of twelve and enter junior high school, they stop coming by the shop. They're older now and have more money to spend. And instead of using that money to buy nuts and candy, they prefer to spend it on burgers, video games, and records. One can presume that this makes them feel more adult than hanging around a candy and nut store, an activity which they most probably feel they've grown out of.

It's largely to compensate for the lack of company in the store that used to be provided by Harry and his friends that Mr. Tillian invests in a parrot.