Scout knew more about the Cunningham family than most. Walter Cunningham, Sr. was a client of her father's. She knew that they were proud people. They never accepted anything that they could not repay. They did not like to owe anyone anything. For example, Atticus provided legal services to Mr. Cunningham. He could not pay him Atticus with cash, so instead he gave the Finch family items like stove wood and turnip greens. Overall, Scout had empathy for the Cunningham family.
Her feelings toward Walter Cunningham, Jr., however, were complicated. She understood why when he did not bring lunch or lunch money to school. She tried to explain the reasons to her teacher. Her teacher punished her for talking about the matter and Scout blamed Walter for it. After being punished, Scout harbored anger toward Walter. She beat him up, even though he had not done anything wrong. Then when he came over for lunch, she pointed out his strange behavior after he "poured syrup on his vegetables and meat with a generous hand" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 3). After awhile, Scout's negative feelings toward Walter faded away. When she saw his father in the mob by the jail, she requested that he tell his son she said hello.
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