How would you feel if you were dirt poor, and the only way you could make money for yourself is to steal? In the short story Yes Ma'am, this is how Rodger lives. It seems that he has no parents around to watch over him, or care for him, which forces him to take care of himself. Rodger tries to steal a ladies purse, and fails. The woman (whose name is Mrs. Jones) takes him home and feeds him his first meal of the day. She seemed to teach him lessons on not to steal and to respect other people and their property. Did Rodger actually learn his lesson, or will he just walk away unchanged?
Even though Rodger seems like a bad kid, there is always a reason for that happening. In the story, he tells Mrs. Jones that there aren't any parents at home. If a kid doesn't have parents to care for him, that can probably leave them scarred. I think that when Mrs. Jones makes him wash his face and has a talk with him about what he did, that he really does change. I think that after he leaves her house, that he will never try to steal again. Rodger learns to respect other peoples property, and also not to steal. In the end, Rodger came out a better person.
