She desperately misses her family, but she must remain alone in town, without her family as a base of support, if she wishes to make enough money to learn a trade. We also get a sense of the distractions that the town holds for young girls like Lena. While going to visit traveling salesmen must surely be interesting for bored young women, it is also something that could threaten their future if they're not careful. In searching for diversions, young women like Lena run the risk of falling in love, getting pregnant, or acquiring bad reputations. Thus, while Lena has the freedom to pursue her own goals, she also faces a number of difficulties that independent single men simply do not.
Winter is like punishment for the summer.
The streets become more and more deserted, as people run from building to building and stay in their warm homes. A tramp came over and offered to help out. Frances remembers the story also and how the only thing found on the tramp was a poem. During winter, people have to try hard just to survive, and they are able to focus only on the bare necessities, like keeping warm and eating enough food. For this reason, Jim calls the light of winter the light of truth.