The poverty Jimmy experienced with his grandparents does not bother him. Jimmy was just happy to have people who show love to him and siblings. Jimmy's grandparents did that, they allowed them to be kids and made them forget about there troubles they faced. Jimmy's grandfather was someone very special in his life, but when his grandfather died his freedom and childhood died also. But fortunately the freedom that Jimmy feels when he is with his grandparents will always stay with him forever. .
The death of Jimmy's grandfather causes him to lose hope of anything good ever happening in his life. At this point of his life everything goes downhill for Jimmy. Jimmy is sent to an orphanage with his brother, but he cannot handle the horrible treatment the nuns gave him. After getting caught running away many times from the orphanage he is sent to the D- Home or detention center where he first faces prison life at a young age. As Jimmy grow older he and his brother get into more trouble by selling drugs to survive and beating up people for his personal pleasure. After getting into an argument with his girlfriend Thersa and being wrongfully accused of murder, Jimmy spends some time jail. This situation makes Jimmy want to change his life, so he decides to move to San Diego. In San Diego, Jimmy meets a friend named Marcos who he becomes very close to. They become a team and start selling drugs, making so much money that Jimmy decides to move to Arizona with Marcos and Lonnie, Jimmy's new girlfriend. Even though Jimmy is living a wealthy life he knows that selling drugs is wrong and he wants to be part of a normal society where he does not have to be worried about anything: "But I didn't trust myself, nor did I tell them that I was searching for something to make me feel more a part of the world" (pg 61). Marcos and Jimmy decide to quit the drugs dealing, but before they leave town, Jimmy and Lonnie go to a friend's house and the place gets raided by FBI agents.
