Connie’s desire for attention that she lacks at home, lack of boundaries, youthful age and eager desire to be independent all lead her to victimization. Though she seems to be a normal teenage girl, her parents are very uninvolved in her life, and question her actions seldom. She is basically left to do as she pleases. Connie’s youthful innocence is revealed through her daily life. She is naïve and inexperienced with relationships …showed first 75 words of 569 total…

…showed last 75 words of 569 total…police they’ll get you, they’ll arrest you” (479), but Arnold Friend crushes her every attempt to rebel against him by threatening to harm both her and her family. After being victimized by Arnold Friend, Connie bravely goes for a “ride” with Arnold Friend to spare her family pain. Her maturity is forced upon her because instead of centering her decision on herself, she must consider the effects her decision will have on her family.