The Seventh Most Important Thing

Christmas day, Arthur doesn’t feel like celebrating. He misses his dad and reflects that Officer Billie was right about Christmas being a difficult season. His mom tries to make the day special, but it doesn’t feel quite real to Arthur, “Like they were actors in a play” (89).

Arthur gives his mother a flowerpot he found while collecting trash for Mr. Hampton and then fixed up. His mother gives Arthur his dad’s coin collection, which Arthur doesn’t really want. His dad’s hat means more to him, and Arthur realizes it’s difficult to tell “what things would be important to people and what wouldn’t” (92). He starts to understand Mr. Hampton’s list of important things.

Though he doesn’t have probation scheduled, Arthur goes to the garage the Saturday after Christmas in hopes of figuring out exactly what Mr. Hampton does. The garage is locked up, and there’s no one there.

Arthur goes home, where Barbara tells him Mr. Hampton was in the neighborhood and that she talked to him. Barbara reveals Mr. Hampton has no kids and that he called his cart a chariot “but you just can’t see the horses” (96). Arthur doesn’t know what to make of this.