“For us young brothers, taking a stroll down here, even on Christmas Eve, was not relaxing at all. I felt like I had put my life on the line, straight up. All of these old dudes lived in a different world from me.”

The first chapter of the novel introduces Lolly as the protagonist. The novel is told through Lolly’s first-person perspective, so the language mirrors the colloquialisms of a 12-year-old boy, such as “straight up” or “old dudes.” The novel also establishes early on the theme of violence—as a 12-year-old, Lolly is risking his life just by walking down the street.

“If you only expose yourself to whatever everybody else does, you’ll never create anything new. I think that’s what got your brother: He couldn’t see any other way out of here besides dealing. Got caught up in that street lifestyle, like that sheisty Rockit and all them.”

Steve’s warning to Lolly sets up the major conflict Lolly and Vega face over the course of the narrative. They can choose one of two paths: Run the streets like Jermaine or find something they are passionate about like Steve and his art and movie-making.

“It was funny because it wasn’t something that I would’a thought to ask for, but sitting there then in my room, it seemed like something I had been wanting. I just hadn’t known that I had wanted it.” 

Lolly’s response to Steve’s Christmas gift, a book called A Pattern of Architecture, directly contrasts his response to Jermaine’s gift of a game console. Jermaine’s gift seems like it’s for another kid, while Steve’s gift is more meaningful, an early sign that Lolly will create art, following in Steve’s footsteps and not Jermaine’s.