#3

'But gradually- oh, it hurts!- something began to work on me. I began to have, of all things, self-confidence. It crept up like an oily friend. It seemed to me that Elvis began to look less certain of hemself, walking to and fro. Clearly he'd expected I'd be putty by this time. ...
Turning back to me, Elvis smiled. "Reuben, was Davy angry that night?"
He thought I was hesitating out of fear to answer the question. I confess to you now I was only looking for the right voice- something legionnaireish. Oh, I still wanted to do my best by Davy, I haden't forgotten him; but I wanted to sound smooth doing it, you see. Like a hotshot, Mighty Stinson would've said.
Elvis prompted. "Something like that happening to his little sister- say, I would've been upset, a thing like that."... "No sir, Davy was as easygoing as anything."...
Then Elvis said gently, "Now Reuben. Haven't you told us how your brother sticks up for you? Protects you?"
I had (89-90).'

This passage lays out a self guilt that Reuben holds for atleast a little longer in the story. This was the downfall to Davy's court case. It creates more of a character for Reuben of how he is a brother and wants to help his brother out but ends up in sending his brother to jail for his self confidence in answering the court questions. It tells the reader that this is not a perfect family. That one of the children has murdered two people and is going to jail. The steriotypical family is not this family. This passage shows that the family's whole life will turn around because of this one case. Nothing will be the same without the oldest of the children. What will end up happening to Davy? The two kids talk about breaking him out, but will they?
What will happen the the Land family and how will it function without him? Will they go back to school after this since they didn't right after it happened?