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Summary
Sections 6-10
6
Demon recounts the story of why Maggot’s mother, Mariah, was sent to prison. As a junior in high school, Mariah began dating Romeo Blevins, an older man with movie-star looks. Feeling plain compared to her three sisters, she considered herself lucky to be with him despite her mother’s warnings to stay away. Mariah became pregnant, and they moved in together, but Romeo soon grew resentful. He openly cheated on her and became abusive, hitting her when she asked him to stay home with the baby. The abuse escalated after she threatened to leave. In one incident, he beat her with a phone, tied her up outside, forced a gun into her mouth, and drew a heart on her chest, leaving her there for hours while then-infant Matty cried inside.
Romeo’s abuse became increasingly brutal. He frequently tied Mariah up outside, even in winter, once leaving her there overnight with the door open while Matty struggled to stay warm. Mariah eventually stole an X-Acto knife from Romeo’s truck to free herself when he tied her up. One night, after Romeo got drunk, Mariah used the knife to carve a smile into his face and a heart into his chest, permanently disfiguring him. Romeo pressed charges and, with the help of expensive lawyers, convinced the jury that Matty wasn’t his child and that Mariah attacked him out of jealousy.
Over the years, Demon heard fragments of this story. At the time, the community didn’t believe Mariah, but her version is now widely accepted. Some argue she should have emphasized that she was a minor when she moved in with Romeo to potentially avoid adult prison, as she had just turned eighteen at the time of the assault. But since she didn’t have expensive lawyers, she was sentenced to twelve years in a prison for the mentally disturbed, while Romeo escaped accountability for his abuse.
7
One day after school, Demon accidentally tracks mud into the kitchen. Stoner forces him to scrub the floor with Clorox repeatedly, long after the mud is gone, and then demands he clean the living room carpet, stained over years of wear. The fumes make Demon sick, and when he begins yelling and throwing things, Stoner puts him in a headlock. Demon bites him, comparing himself to Satan, a dog trained his whole life to finally bite back.
In retaliation, Stoner locks Demon in his room, forbidding him from leaving, even to go to school. Trapped, Demon considers running away to Aunt June’s but doesn’t know her address. He regrets not calling Emmy, but his mother had refused to let him make long-distance calls. After a few days, Stoner allows Demon to return to school but continues locking him in his room the rest of the time.
One day, Stoner lets him out, claiming Demon’s mother wants to show him how much she loves him. Demon finds her lying unconscious on the bed, breathing but unresponsive after taking pills. In a panic, he screams at Stoner to call 911, realizing in that moment that life as he knows it is over.
8
When Demon tries to call 911, Stoner fights him for the phone, punching him in the face and body. Demon wonders if his mother might have died had he not made the call and reflects that, while he thought life couldn’t get worse, he was wrong. When the EMTs arrive, Stoner immediately switches to acting respectable, pretending that he was the one who called for help. At the hospital, the Peggots show up to support Demon, but a weary social worker eventually sends them home.
Demon asks to stay with the Peggots, but Stoner has accused them of sexually abusing him. Demon counters that Stoner is the real abuser and admits to the social worker that he sometimes fantasizes about killing him. The social worker, focusing on the incident where Demon bit Stoner, seems blind to the power imbalance between them, which enrages Demon. A psychologist questions him about his mental state, and the next day a young social worker named Miss Barks arrives to take him to a foster home. She explains that his mother is going directly from the hospital to a short stint in rehab.
Miss Barks takes Demon to his new foster placement with Mr. Crickson, a man who only takes short-term foster children after losing his wife. When they arrive, Demon is struck by how intimidating and haunted the house seems. Even Miss Barks appears uneasy about going inside.
9
Demon arrives at Mr. Crickson’s house, immediately noticing the filthiness of both the house and its owner. Crickson menacingly warns Demon that “biters” aren’t welcome and even jokes about filing down his teeth. Despite this unsettling introduction, Demon is relieved when he meets the other boys, who treat him kindly. Swap-Out, who was in Demon’s class and has fetal alcohol syndrome, is friendly and welcoming. Tommy, an older boy from Demon’s school, teaches him how to manage the farm work they’re often forced to do instead of attending school—despite Crickson lying to Miss Barks about their attendance. Demon learns that Crickson, whom the boys call “Creaky” behind his back, only takes short-term placements because fostering children earns him tax breaks in April and September.
The third boy, Fast Forward, real name Sterling Ford, is a high school football star and Creaky’s clear favorite, having been there for years. Unlike the other boys, Fast Forward is well cared for and enjoys many privileges. Each night, he collects the other boys’ lunch money and snacks to prepare for what he calls a “Hillbilly Squadron farm party.”
Demon reflects on the term “hillbilly,” recalling how he once laughed at hillbilly families in movies, not understanding the term’s significance. Maggot’s cousin Emmy was the first to point out that their own families were considered hillbillies. Mr. Peggot, whom Demon calls Mr. Peg, once explained to Demon that “hillbilly,” like the n-word, was originally a derogatory term meant to demean a group of people but had since been reclaimed as a source of identity and pride. Demon considers other similar terms throughout history, like “rednecks,” “hicks,” and “deplorables.”
10
Returning to school brings Demon some normalcy as he reconnects with Maggot. Maggot tells him that he and his grandparents snuck into Demon’s house and took his belongings, including his drawing notebooks, to keep them safe from Stoner.
Demon has an early bus ride to school each day with Tommy, while Fast Forward gets to sleep in and drive his own car. During these trips, the younger boys learn about sex from the high school kids on the bus. Demon also gets to know Tommy’s story: Tommy’s well-to-do parents died when he was a baby, leaving him with a senile grandmother unable to care for him and no other relatives. Despite having a few good foster homes, Tommy was never adopted because most families only wanted babies, so he remained in foster care his entire life. Sensitive by nature, Tommy is often the target of Creaky’s cruelty. He expresses his emotions by drawing skulls.
Fast Forward organizes a party and formally initiates Demon into the group, giving him the nickname “Diamond” because he’s hard and valuable. At the party, they smoke cigarettes and eat cookies, which Demon later realizes are laced with drugs. Fast Forward then distributes various pills, and Demon understands that this isn’t a "farm" party but a “pharm” party. Reluctantly, Demon takes a small pink pill. Reflecting on the moment, he observes how society harshly judges drug addicts but overlooks how situations like these arise when children are left to fend for themselves.
Analysis
The story of Mariah’s abuse and imprisonment is presented in a fragmented, retrospective manner, mirroring Demon’s own gradual understanding of the events and their implications. Initially, all we know is that Mariah “cut a man,” but the full context—a young woman driven to violence after enduring prolonged and horrific abuse—paints a vastly different picture. By framing Mariah's story this way, the novel critiques societal and systemic failures that fail to protect vulnerable individuals, particularly women in abusive relationships. Mariah’s trial and harsh sentencing highlight the injustices of a legal system that disproportionately punishes those without resources. Her lack of expensive legal representation contrasts sharply with Romeo's, underscoring the broader inequalities in access to justice.
In the present-day storyline, Demon’s descent into Stoner’s abusive control parallels Mariah’s experiences, emphasizing the pervasive effects of toxic masculinity and power imbalances. Stoner’s cruelty toward Demon, such as forcing him to scrub floors with Clorox to the point of sickness and locking him in his room, demonstrates how abuse often thrives in environments where the abuser holds unchecked authority. Demon’s mother’s passive complicity, driven by fear and dependence, further illustrates how abuse affects not just the victim but the entire household. The Clorox scene is particularly significant as a turning point, where Demon, likening himself to the tormented dog Satan, begins to bite back, both literally and metaphorically.
The social worker and psychologist’s inability—or unwillingness—to recognize the power imbalance between Demon and Stoner highlights systemic failures to protect children from abuse. The social worker’s focus on Demon’s act of biting Stoner rather than on Stoner’s sustained physical and emotional abuse demonstrates a lack of understanding about how power dynamics function in abusive relationships. This myopia perpetuates Demon’s feelings of powerlessness and anger, reflecting a broader critique of institutional negligence in addressing the root causes of trauma and abuse. The introduction of Mr. Crickson, or "Creaky," as Demon’s first foster parent exposes another facet of systemic failure: the exploitation of foster children for financial gain. Creaky’s neglect and manipulation of the foster care system contrast starkly with the Peggots' warmth and care, further underscoring the disparities in the lives of children in foster care.
The “pharm” party is particularly significant, as it represents a turning point for Demon and the other boys. In a context where there are no adults to set boundaries or provide guidance, children are left to navigate situations beyond their maturity level. Demon’s reluctant participation in the party, driven by peer pressure and a desire to belong, reflects how easily children in neglectful environments can be drawn into dangerous behaviors. The party serves as a microcosm of the larger societal issue of addiction, where the lack of support systems leads to destructive coping mechanisms.
Demon’s reflections on terms like "hillbilly" and "redneck" add another layer to the section’s critique of socio-political narratives. Mr. Peg’s explanation that these terms were initially derogatory but reclaimed as symbols of pride parallels the broader theme of resilience in the face of systemic marginalization. However, Demon’s own evolving understanding of these terms reflects his growing awareness of the power of language to both oppress and empower. The connection to Mariah’s story is clear: just as the legal and social systems failed her, these derogatory labels obscure the humanity of those they target, making it easier for society to dismiss their struggles as personal failings rather than systemic issues.
The names introduced in this chapter reflect systemic failures and power dynamics within Demon’s world. Swap-Out embodies the transactional nature of the foster care system. His nickname, suggesting he is replaceable, underscores the dehumanizing treatment of children like him, particularly those born with challenges such as fetal alcohol syndrome. Fast Forward, the charismatic yet manipulative football star, carries a name that suggests speed and progress but also reflects his reckless approach to life and other people. Creaky, the boys’ nickname for Mr. Crickson, evokes decay and neglect, and encapsulates the systemic failures of a foster care system that enables such neglect. Diamond, the nickname given to Demon during his initiation into the Hillbilly Squadron, symbolizes resilience and perceived value, likening him to a gem forged under pressure. However, the name’s irony lies in its contrast to the systemic neglect and personal struggles that erode his sense of self-worth.
