These lines occur in Langston Hughes’ short story ‘Thank You Ma’am’. Here, the speaker is Langston Hughes. In the lines quoted above, Roger, the boy who tried to snatch Mrs Jones’ purse is referred to as ‘he’. Roger could have escaped from the house as the door was left open, but he did not. Roger did not want to break Mrs Jones’ trust. After catching Roger red- handed Mrs Jones could have handed him over to the police but instead of doing so she tried to reform him by teaching him a lesson through love and care that would help him understand the difference between right and wrong. Mrs. Jones trusted Roger without knowing anything about him. Therefore, Roger also reciprocated respect and trust towards Mrs Jones by not running away from the house.