Arnold is uncertain about himself when he returns home from school after punching Rodger, and asks his grandmother what he did wrong. Arnold does not know if he followed "the rules" correctly, and feels meek after realizing that the white kids didn't follow the same rules as him. He feels as if he is even further away from the world. "His gang stared at me as if I were a serial killer, and then they followed their leader (p. 65)." He feels terrified, and the only person he can get advice from is his grandmother, as neither of his parents are home for him to rely on. His grandmother is the only parental figure he can look up to when neither of his parents are there to help pick him back up.
His grandmother originally seems confused as to why Arnold was acting in such a way, but it is eventually shown that she supports her grandson, and is a reliable family member. "She pretended to kick a big guy in the crotch, and we both laughed (p. 68)." Both of them agree that it is strange that a boy that could possibly take Rowdy down refused to fight back against Arnold. Though Arnold refuses that such a "weak" person such as himself could gain respect, his grandmother insists that it is possible. "Yeah, but you punched the alpha dog in the face (p. 70)." Arnold and his grandmother love each other as family members, and are very close. Though his grandmother may seem a little batty in Arnold's eyes, he still relies on her to take a motherly role in his life.
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