159)Stallions, the parents had a more difficult youth. The result was that Lonigan really took much of his life for granted and his parents were actually largely absent from his life. They wanted the best, but really didn't invest in keeping Young Lonigan out of trouble. Towards the end of the book, his father lamented that he had not made William work on painting all summer. Things could have gone very differently for Studs if he didn't have the ability to run free and get into trouble. Can Lonigan change? If he wants to, he can. He constantly thinks about his place in the world and towards the end he begins to learn that not everything is as wonderful as he imagined. Lucy was a hard lesson for him and he undoubtedly sees this direct correlation that led him to this goal. Likewise, he realizes that he can no longer speak to Hélène, he begins to feel guilty and he mentally makes a promise to confess. In the end, it leaves the reader with a feeling of great resignation like a child who has just finished a book. major tantrum and had now decided that maybe there was a better solution. Studs is not a good fit for the Mount as described in this book, but he is a work in progress, he is young and still has a lot of growing to do. Just like his father who “pulled himself up by his own boot straps”. (Farrell, 1932, p. 19) He was hungry