Atticus tells the children to stop "tormenting that man." Further, he advises them that what Boo Radley does in his house is his own business. That is, Boo can come outside if he so desires, or he can remain inside. So, they should be respectful of the Radleys' choices to be reclusive and not socialize with neighbors. In other words, they should not enter the Radley yard unless invited.
In Chapter 5, as he tries...
Atticus tells the children to stop "tormenting that man." Further, he advises them that what Boo Radley does in his house is his own business. That is, Boo can come outside if he so desires, or he can remain inside. So, they should be respectful of the Radleys' choices to be reclusive and not socialize with neighbors. In other words, they should not enter the Radley yard unless invited.
In Chapter 5, as he tries to slip a note to Boo Radley on the window sill of his house, Jem is stopped by Dill's ringing of a bell which signals the approach of Atticus. Tipping his hat back on his head, his father asks, "Jem, what were you doing?" Jem tries to say that he was not doing anything, but Atticus knows better. So, Jem tells his father the truth:
"...we were just tryin' to give somethin' to Mr. Radley....Just a letter."
Atticus scolds the children for violating Mr. Radley's privacy and he instructs them to "stop tormenting the man." To underscore the lesson of respecting other people's privacy, he asks his children how they would like it if he barged in on them in their rooms at night without knocking.
Concluding that what they do to Boo Radley is tantamount to barging into someone's bedroom, Atticus urges the children to stay away from the Radley house unless they are invited there. He tries to impress upon the children that Mr. Radley is a real person, not a fictional character from one of their stories.
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