Chapter 4

Theme Statement:
Punishments for young peoples crimes can impact their entire life. 

Literary Device: Diction
"Loneliness enveloped me. I felt my fate suddenly twinned with that of Shea, an aspiring drug dealer who I knew didn't really give a damn about me." p.82

Analysis:
When the author, Wes Moore, was caught doing graffiti by the police,he started to question everything about his future and even promised to change his future.In this quote, the author uses the words like "fate" to show that the authors future was effected by his punishment. This theme is seen throughout the chapter. When, the other Wes Moore's mother found Wes's stash of drugs, she threw it all down the toilet. Knowing that he would have to pay all the money back and he could no longer keep his drugs in his mothers house, Wes become very anxious about what he was going to do next and his future.When teenagers are held accountable for their actions, and are given a punishment, their whole lives can be impacted and changed.