I thought I had made things sufficiently clear. It was clear enough to the rest of us: Walter Cunningham was sitting there lying his head off. He didn’t forget his lunch, he didn’t have any. He had none today nor would he have any tomorrow or the next day. He had probably never seen three quarters together at the same time in his life…
“The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back – no church baskets and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along on what they have. They don’t have much, but they get along on it.”
– Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 2. Walter Cunningham Jr. arrives to school with no lunch and refuses money from teacher Miss Caroline. Scout tries to explain to the clueless Miss Caroline how farmer Walter Cunningham and his family are poor, work hard for anything they have and young Walter is too proud to take the money because he cannot pay it back. Scout gets in trouble for this and Miss Caroline slaps her with a ruler and makes her stand in the corner.