Separate and unequal

“Even before the fracas with Terence Stagg, people along both sides of the 1400 block of Eighth Street NW could see the Benningtons for what they really were.

The moment sets a tone of transgression as the narrator describes neighbors distinguishing themselves from the Benningtions upon arrival. The moment is significant for the author’s argument because it segregates the Bennington family from the rest of the neighborhood people. This segregation allows the story to revolve around the themes of class and race.

If the Benningtons were upper class would the surrounding neighbors still “see the Benningtons for what they really were?”