SETTING #2

In the book Sleepers much of the boys memories revolve around a reform school, or as they call it The Wilkinson School for Boys. These three boys were sent here because they pushed a shopping cart down a crowded subway stair case. Though they deserved to be punished the home for boys served to deteriorate them instead of reform them. All of the inmates there are young easily influenced boys, and the guards abuse their power. One very important scene happens in the cafeteria. While carrying his lunch one of the boys is tripped by a bully. This being a no holds bared environment a fight ensues, as usual. The best way to describe the population of this prison is a mob of blood thirsty pack of thugs. This group of hoodlums are just waiting for violence, so when a fight broke out, it took no time for it to become a full scale war. After all was said and done, with fool splattered everywhere, numerous boys dripping with blood, and tables and chairs overturned; the guards eventually broke it up. However afterward when the fight is traced back to him, he gets an especially cruel and unusual punishment. The dark and coldness associated with the prison is personified during this punishment. The guards brutally beet and rape the boy, scaring him for life. These two scenes not only serve as a backdrop for this stage in their life, but also o their souls, so their actions later on are partially justified because of their experiences.