# The Boy — How the Other Half Lives character guide > The Boy in How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** himself, The boy, your **First appearance:** 0005-i-genesis-of-the-tenement ## Snapshot A homeless newsboy at the parting of the ways, offered shelter on terms that treat him as an independent trader rather than a pauper. ## Who they are At the Duane Street lodging-house, the outcast boy pays six cents for a bed and six for breakfast, borrowing against future earnings when trade goes badly and repaying almost without fail. The rules are blunt—no swearing, no tobacco, no home to return to—but the philosophy behind them is subtler: self-help, not charity, is the lever that raises him. His small economy of trust and repayment is where the book tests whether dignity can survive poverty. ## Relationships ### [David Smith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/characters/david_smith) _family_ David Smith and The Boy likely share a familial bond, possibly father-son or guardian-child, given their high interaction frequency. ### [The Chinese](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/characters/the_chinese) _rivalry_ The Boy and The Chinese are often in conflict, reflecting ethnic or economic tensions in the slums. ### [Edward Mulhearn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/characters/edward_mulhearn) _friendship_ Edward Mulhearn and The Boy share a friendly or protective bond, possibly as mentor and protégé. ### [Mr. A. T. White](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/characters/mr_a_t_white) _professional_ Mr. A. T. White interacts with The Boy in a reform or investigative context. ### [Mrs. Astor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/characters/mrs_astor) _social_ Mrs. Astor and The Boy have a distant or observational relationship, likely highlighting class differences. ### [Edward Mulhearn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/characters/edward_mulhearn) _friendship_ Edward Mulhearn and The Boy share a friendly or protective bond, possibly as mentor and protégé. ### [The Chinese](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/characters/the_chinese) _rivalry_ The Boy and The Chinese are often in conflict, reflecting ethnic or economic tensions in the slums. ## In the story ### [How the Other Half Lives](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/how-the-other-half-lives) A young boy encountered in the tenements, representing the suffering and exploitation of children. ### [I: Genesis of the Tenement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/i-genesis-of-the-tenement) Mentioned indirectly as 'young vagabonds' overrunning the streets due to home conditions. ### [The Italian in New York](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/v-the-italian-in-new-york) Mentioned as occasionally becoming a pickpocket, influenced by the toughs of the Sixth Ward slums. ### [XI: The Sweaters of Jewtown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/xi-the-sweaters-of-jewtown) Mentioned as the oldest boy in a suspender-maker's family, earning four to six dollars in a factory when work is available. ### [XIV: The Common Herd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/xiv-the-common-herd) Referenced as being beckoned by the bright and gay saloon, representing the youth drawn into vice. ### [XV: The Problem of the Children](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/xv-the-problem-of-the-children) Representative of tenement boys who are naturally inclined to idle ways, lack guidance, and are at risk of reformatory or street life. ### [Waifs of the City’s Slums](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/xvi-waifs-of-the-city-s-slums) Referenced indirectly as one of the waifs or children rescued from the streets. ### [The Street Arab](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/xvii-the-street-arab) The Street Arab is the central figure of the chapter, depicted as a bright, independent, and resourceful vagabond who lives by his wits and evades capture by authorities. ### [XVIII: The Reign of Rum](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/xviii-the-reign-of-rum) A boy in bare feet on a cold November night is served beer despite a sign prohibiting it; another boy dies after drinking beer all day, killed and half-eaten by rats. ### [XIX: The Harvest of Tares](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/xix-the-harvest-of-tares) The boy is depicted as the typical recruit into gang life, starting from childhood by carrying the 'growler' for beer. ### [The Man with the Knife](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/xxiii-the-man-with-the-knife) Referenced indirectly as part of the 'tough' type, whose likeness was drawn in a previous story to suggest the man with the knife. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/chapters/endnotes) Mentioned in endnote 18 in the context of a family living in a ramshackle tenement. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/characters/the_boy - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/how_the_other_half_lives_se/characters