Mia and Pearl Warren moved into the property on Winslow Road owned by the Richardsons one year before the fire described in chapter one. The property appears from the outside to be a single-family home but has two apartments inside. All of the buildings on Winslow Road are designed this way. Mr. Yang, a school bus driver originally from Hong Kong, lives on the first floor of this Richardson property.

There are many rules in Shaker Heights. The strip of grass between the street and the sidewalk had its own name: the tree lawn, so called because each one in the neighborhood has a Norway maple in that spot. Garbage cans were left in the back of the house for emptying. An unmowed lawn could lead to a fine of $100 if not corrected in three days. Houses of certain designs could only be certain colors.

The Richardsons—and Mrs. Richardson in particular— rented the property on Winslow as what she thought kind of charity. The rent was very low. The point was to rent to people who both seemed to be in need and who they deemed as worthy, such as Mr. Yang.

After the Warrens move into the house on Winslow Road, Moody, the second-youngest Richardson child, rides his bike over to meet them, especially Pearl, who his mother described as very smart. He sees her laying out the pieces of a bed she and her mother found, while Mia is taking her photograph.