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Chapter 8, which we discussed in class today, stirred up some memories from experiences I have had with the homeless in Greenville. One time over break I was working the door at the Project Host soup kitchen and a guy sat down to play some piano after he finished his meal. He was playing well and everybody enjoyed it but another guy thought it was too loud and told the piano man to stop playing. The piano man did not and it quickly escalated into a loud shouting match with everyone in the dining hall staring at the two. At this point it was not about the piano anymore (I honestly don't think either of them was genuinely mad at the other) but it was pretty much a pissing contest to see which one would come out looking stronger. To back down would mean admitting defeat and when they left the soup kitchen that day it would be back to the streets, where weakness can put you in serious danger. The two men ended up being separated and it never actually got physical, but it was interesting and sad to see how the culture of homelessness causes individuals to feel like they must harden themselves in order to survive in a dog eat dog world.