Belleville
With their household growing, Uncle Allen and Aunt Pat got a bigger house in Belleville. Here Russell became older and was able to comprehend things more clearly. While in school Russell made friends with three Italian boys whose parents were Italian immigrants. One day Russell was about to get beaten up by a bully when Frankie, Nino, and Jerry came and stopped it. After that Russell had nothing but utter respect and admiration for anything Italian. His mother although did not feel the same way, to what she felt were the lower class people. This clash in views caused Russell to think of his mother as a hypocrite. She claimed to be a faithful churchgoer, but she did not look as everyone as an equal. At this point in Russell's life he began to figure people out and from views and opinions of his own.
"My time in Belleville, where I was happy and made good friends and learned that adults were also flawed..."~Russell Baker