Up until 1951, Myers explains, his family had been working-class but not poor: they had never lacked food or basic comforts, they could always find ways to pay rent, and they could splurge a bit for Christmas. That summer, however, money became tight, even with Myers himself working odd jobs; Herbert’s father, William, had moved in with the Deans after his eyesight deteriorated too much for him to live alone, but his presence caused both financial and emotional tension in the household. William had old-fashioned habits and opinions, particularly regarding women, and tended to treat Florence as a servant. In retrospect, Myers regrets not being more of an “ally” to his mother during this period: “I had already grown apart from her in so many ways that our conversations, instead of deepening, had become more and more guarded” (105).

Myers was also preoccupied with his own problems: his relationship with God, for instance, had become “tenuous,” and William’s strict religiosity made him nervous (105). What’s more, he was struggling to fit in at Stuyvesant; its heavy emphasis on the sciences proved unexpectedly challenging, and its hours prevented him from socializing with his friends back in Harlem. Although he continued to spend time with Eric (mostly doing homework), Myers felt increasingly lonely and longed for a friend who would truly understand him.