The document discusses how alcohol and violence are prevalent in the small, low-income areas described in Andre Dubus III's memoir "Townie." Growing up poor, Dubus and his siblings moved between crummy neighborhoods where they got involved with drugs, drinking, and fighting as a way to show power. Neighborhood bullies like Clay used violence to target Dubus, causing him to feel he needed to learn to fight to prove himself after witnessing his brother's beating. The environment led Dubus and others to believe the only way to settle disputes was through fists and violence, fueled by alcohol.