Dirk the Protector

Vocabulary
Menace- a troublesome or annoying person.
Conventional- usual; traditional.
Predatory- stealing or hurting others.
Forerunners- one that comes before and indicates the approach of another.
Impasse- situation which no progress can be made.
Brindled- light brownish, yellow, or grayish hair with streaks of a darker color.

Connections
“There weren’t many boys willing to do the work but with so few alleys, it was still very hard to earn much money. A dollar a night was not uncommon and three was outstanding.” This definitely had to have been a long time ago because now minimum wage for just 1 hour is like 6 or 7 dollars and he is only getting paid 1 dollar a whole night.

Questions
“It would be nice to put it another way but what with the drinking at home and the difficulties it caused with my parents I couldn’t live in the house.” Where is he going to live?
“I was not afraid of work and spent most of my summers working on farms for two, three and finally five dollars a day.” Is this the older years like 1930’s, ‘40s, ‘50s?
“Because I was from ‘the wrong side of the tracks’ I didn’t think I could go to the authorities. It all seemed hopeless. And then I met Dirk.” Who is Dirk? Did Dirk protect him?
“There was a head and a back, and as my eyes became accustomed to the dark I could see that it had scraggly, scruffy hair and two eyes that glowed yellow.” Is this a dog? Will this animal attack him?
“I was just getting my stride, legs and arms pumping, pulling air with a heaving chest, when I rounded into the latest group of boys who were terrorizing me.” Will the attack him? Will the dog that he gave half a burger to possibly help him?

Interesting/Important Sentences/Passages

“That night one of the bowlers had bowled a perfect game-300-and in celebration had bought the pit boys hamburgers and cokes. I had put the burger and coke in a bag to take back to my basement” He doesn’t have much money so he is saving the burger and coke for when he is actually hungry.
“The problem was the hamburger smelled so good and I was so hungry. I decided to give the beast under the stairs half a burger.” He is probably giving the beast under the stairs half a burger to show he is friendly so the beast doesn’t attack him for the whole thing or just to attack him.
“Happy took a swing at me. Dirk took him right in the middle. I mean bit him in the center of the stomach, hard, before Happy’s first could get to me. Happy screamed and doubled over and Dirk went around and ripped into his rear and kept tearing at it even as Happy and his two companions fled down the street.” Dirk helped him again so obviously they have a good cycle going on which is the boy feeds the dog, and the dog helps him when he is about to get mugged. “He caused Happy and his mob to change their habits. They not only stopped hunting me but went out of their way to avoid me, or more specifically, Dirk.” He helped the boy