Therefore, stating your beliefs is a very effective way of communicating with children. At the beginning of the novel, Scout overhears Atticus arguing with Uncle Jack. She discovers some of her hopes for Jem and herself when Atticus states, “You know as well as I do what will happen, Jack, and I hope and pray that I can get Jem and Scout through this without bitterness, and, above all, without contracting the usual Maycomb disease. Why reasonable people go completely crazy when something comes up involving a nigger, is something I don't pretend to understand they trust me enough?' (88).