Describe Vince’s character growth in the novel. How does Vince’s perspective on his family change? Why do you think Vince protects his family even if he doesn’t approve of their behavior? How do you think Vince will conduct himself in relationships in the future? What character attributes does Vince continue to cling to, even though they may be harmful to his growth? Do you think Vince will continue to become involved in his family’s criminal activity?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might find it helpful to have access to the novel and reading questions to reference as they contemplate the questions. Students may wish to record responses before discussing them aloud; the multiple questions make small group jigsawing and sharing a possibility. You might also discuss the concept of a dynamic character in the context of this discussion.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who might benefit from a graphic organizer for use with whole-text tasks, consider providing a T-chart to draw comparisons between Vince’s character at the beginning of the novel on one side and his character growth on the other side.