: Pappass, in a moment of erratic behavior, steals the bicycle they were saving for. Tommy tries to take the blame but is expelled from school.
: Tommy befriends an incarcerated woman named Bernadette (nicknamed "Lady") at the New York Women's House of Detention. Though they only communicate through her cell window, she becomes his unconventional mentor, offering life advice through a piece of broken mirror. The Turning Point
A series of tragic events forces Tommy to leave his childhood behind:
: Shortly after, Tommy’s mother dies of an overdose. Grief-stricken and facing a bleak future, Lady advises him to flee the city and start a new life elsewhere.