Charlotte never cooks. Ida sometimes makes dinner before leaving for the night, but not always. The lack of proper meals leaves Harriet irritable, but Charlotte and Allison don’t seem to require the same level of nutrition as Harriet (although they require more rest). Harriet does not complain to her mother about the lack of food because she knows if she does, Ida might get fired. Whereas Hely purposely fights with a rotating cast of housekeepers, getting one after the next fired by making up lies, Harriet and Allison deeply love Ida and fear losing her.

Harriet reads The Jungle Book and is reminded of poisonous snakes; she calls Hely and proposes catching one. Hely pretends to know about different types of poisonous snakes like copperheads and cottonmouths, plus how to catch them. However, he suggests Harriet could simply tell the police instead of trying to poison Danny with a snake. She does not use the excuse about the cops ignoring the Ratliffs but instead says she should be the one who gets to punish Danny.

Harriet and Hely venture out to hunt snakes, which often make nests under houses. However, they fail to catch any and go swimming.