The Landscape Beyond the Tunnel

What is there beyond the tunnel?

On the other side of the tunnel, there used to be a narrow path that was almost covered by the growth of vegetation on each side of it in the summer. Even though the path was just one, it was usually called “The Lanes”. A bit further on,  there were some tumbledown hovels that the children called “the Cottages”, ignoring the fact that it was an extremely grand name for such collapsed dwellings. All around the place, there were pieces of damaged objects,  children with ragged clothes and “misshapen dogs”. An abandoned farm was also located in “The Lanes” and it was important because it marked the frontier between the Cottages and, as Stephen called it, “no-man’s land”.

Keith and Stephen´s relationship in chapter 6

In chapter 6, we notice Stephen gets a new awareness of the unfairness of the criticism and contempt he suffers from Keith.

 At the beginning of the chapter, we are reminded of all the secrets  Stephen is hiding from Keith : the fact that his mother told him to stop spying on her or that Barbara Berrill visited their hideout.  But, in spite of this, we see that Stephen remains completely faithful to his friend, and is determined to please him. He bravely goes out in the middle of the night to look for a piece of evidence that may prove his friend's hypothesis. Stephen explains he does this just to prove his allegiance and his value to his friend.: “One single heroic deed to lay at Keith´s feet in the morning” Moreover, when his parents question him about his night excursion to the other side of the tunnel, the only questions he answers are those which involve protecting his friend.