Mr Stink

“One morning, Mr. Stink simply appeared in the town, and took up residence on an old wooden bench. No one knew where he had come from, or where he might be going. The town folk were mostly nice to him. They sometimes dropped a few coins at his feet, before rushing off with their eyes watering. But no one was really friendly towards him. No one stopped for a chat.”

This quotation provides the reader with a brief backstory into Mr. Stink’s residence in the town. Like protagonist Chloe Crumb, the reader only knows that Mr. Stink lives an isolated life on the same wooden bench. This passage’s description of Mr. Stink’s interactions with the townspeople establishes the book’s theme on The Harmful Stigma Against Poverty by showing how some people try to be kind to him, but he remains socially excluded.

“‘Mr. Stink?’ ‘Yes, well, I thought his dog looked hungry and I wanted to bring her a sausage or two.’ It was a lie, but not a big one. ‘Well, I suppose there isn’t any harm in giving his poor dog a bit of food,’ said Dad. ‘Just this once though, you understand?’”

Chloe asks her dad, the more understanding of her parents, if she can bring Mr. Stink’s dog some sausages. Chloe hides the fact that Mr. Stink actually requested the sausages for himself, since she isn’t allowed to speak to unhoused people. This passage shows Chloe’s kind and thoughtful nature, as she goes out of her way to provide for Mr. Stink. By characterizing Chloe as a generous person and explaining how she manages to feed Mr. Stink, this quotation begins the book’s theme on The Power of Kindness and Generosity.

“‘So, young Chloe, is everything fine at home?’ asked Mr. Stink, as he let Duchess lick his fingers clean of any remnants of sausage juice. ‘I’m sorry?’ replied a befuddled Chloe. ‘I asked if everything was fine at home. If things were tickety-boo I am not sure you would be spending your Saturday talking to an old vagabond like me.’”

In this passage Mr. Stink wonders why Chloe is spending time with him instead of her family. This conversation reveals that Mr. Stink does not simply want help from Chloe, but is also an insightful and sensitive friend to her who sympathizes with her sadness and loneliness.