In a poor village like St. Petersburg, people only wore formal clothes going to the church on weekends."This boy was well dressed, too well dressed on a weekday. This was simply astounding."(p.10) Tom is a belligerent boy. Seeing the strange boy in his finery on a Friday evening was a good chance for Tom to pick a fight. He provoked the boy by saying " I can lick you." (p.10)
Instead of whitewashing the fence as punishment, Tom cleverly persuaded his friends to give him toys in exchange for the privilege of doing his work. His friends were all deceived and became Tom's victims as the result of their own arrogance. "They came to jeer, but remained to whitewash."(p.23). They unknowingly helped Tom gain a lot of toys. "Tom was literally rolling in wealth."(p.23)
Tom didn't want to go to school, especially on Monday. "because it began another week's slow suffering in school."(p.61). Lying next to Sid, he pretended to suffer from the ailments he imagined. Finally he chose his sore toe to be the reason to stay home from school. "Tom went on groaning. Sid said:Tom! Say, Tom!.. Here, Tom! Tom! What is the matter, Tom?"(p.62)