At the beginning of the story, Scout is told by Miss Caroline that she is not allowed to read anymore at home with her father. This upsets Scout very much. Throughout the summers when Dill comes to visit Maycomb, he, Scout, and Jem are more than curious about Boo Radley. They spy on him and even put on plays pretending to be him. At one point, just when Scout is thinking that Atticus is boring, she watches him kill a rabid dog in one shot. We find out that a black man named Tom Robinson has been arrested and will later be tried for the rape of Mayella Ewell. It is Atticus who defends him, which is an unpopular decision. While the family struggles with this situation, the home of Miss Maudie Attkinson burns down. People admire her good attitude about it and it teaches the children a valuable lesson to look on the brighter side of things. Because most people feel that Atticus is exposing the kids to too much, his sister, Aunt Alexander comes to live with the Finch family. She makes Scout adhere to the expectations of girls in the South by making her entertain company and wear dresses. Later, readers are outraged that even though there is much evidence to the contrary, Tom Robinson is found guilty of rape. Bob Ewell feels disgraced by Atticus and attacks Scout and Jem with the intention of killing them. Boo Radley saves the children, killing Bob Ewell in the process. Through this experience Scout learns that most people are real nice when you give them a chance. Scout has learned so much throughout the novel.