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Six-year-old Grayson Ludlow was quiet, but, like his elder and more communicative brother ten-year-old Andrew, he was thinking all the time, and so usually bopped into the conversations that Andrew, 11-year-old sister Eleanor, and 11-year-old neighbor Velma Trent like he belonged there, because he did.

“So, are we saying that everything that happened yesterday that we know about, and everything we don't because our parents and grandparents won't let us, was really just trash pick up day, gone wrong?” he said after listening to the older children piecing the details together.

“I guess so,” Velma said.  “I mean, if that man had the right trash can, or just walked his stuff down to the secure dumpster, none of the rest of it would have happened.”

Grayson considered this.

“I guess this is why Papa is always on us about picking up after ourselves,” he said.  “If you don't pick up your trash, you can become trash.”

The older children thought about this.

“Well, you're not wrong, Grayson,” Eleanor said. 

“You're not, and it explains what I heard Dad telling Melvin today,” Velma said.  “He said those guys are going straight to prison, and some of them are so old they are not coming out.”

“OK, but, what is prison?” Grayson said.

“Prison,” said Andrew, grimly, “is where you go when you have done something that hurts people so much that we throw you away as a whole society.  It's like detention, for adults.”

“OK, but, what is detention?” Grayson said.  “I mean, I can probably spell it all, but it takes longer to remember what all the words mean.”

“You know when you mess up in class and have to stay after school?” Velma said.

“No, I don't know anything about that, because I just graduated kindergarten,” Grayson said, “and nobody even knew I was there except when they saw my work.  But I bet you George knows about it  and Robert will find out!”

“That's it – it's like George getting grounded, for like, 30 years, and Lil' Robert sent to his room for like, a thousand afternoons,” Eleanor said.

“Yes, but, with something more serious,” Velma said.  “These men treated women like trash – so when you treat other people like trash, you get trashed.”

“And that's what is supposed to happen,” Eleanor and Andrew said.

“OK, I get it now,” Grayson said, “but then I don't get it, because a human is still not a candy wrapper.”

The older children had to consider this.

“Prison is not exactly a dumpster, either,” Andrew said, “but you have a point too, Grayson.  Maybe we are missing something.  Let's ask Papa.”