Scout is taught an important lesson by her father Atticus about considering things from other people's perspectives. At the end of Atticus's trial defending Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape, the jury finds Tom guilty despite Atticus's efforts. However, Atticus comments that by keeping the jury deliberating for so long, some progress was made, even if just a small step, in this racially charged case.

1. INFERENCE

2. “First of all,” he said, “if you can
learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll
get along a lot better with all
kinds of folks. You never really
understand a person until you
consider things from his point of
view…”
“Sir?”
“…Until you climb into his skin and
walk around in it.”

3. “Miss Jean Louise?”
I looked around. They were
standing. All around us and in
the balcony on the opposite
wall, the Negroes were getting
to their feet. Reverend Syke’s
voice was as distant as Judge
Taylor’s:
“Miss Jean Louise, stand up.
Your father’s passin’.

4. “As I waited I thought, Atticus
Finch won’t win, he can’t
win, but he’s the only man in
these parts who can keep a
jury out so long in a case like
that. And I thought to
myself, well, we’re making a
step—it’s just a baby-step, but
it’s a step.”