Mr. Tate was right. Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. "What do you mean?" "Well, it'd sort of be like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.

“Scout,” he said, “Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Can you possibly understand?”
Atticus looked like he needed cheering up. I ran to him and hugged him and kissed him with all my might. “Yes sir, I understand,” I reassured him. “Mr. Tate was right.”
Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. “What do you mean?”
“Well, it’d sort of be like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”
He turned out the light and went into Jem’s room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.

– Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 30. Atticus asks Scout if she understands why they are keeping Boo Radley’s involvement in the Bob Ewell’s death a secret. Scout understands that Boo, who saved her and Jem, was like a mockingbird and they had to protect him.

Harper Lee Quotes