Sentence:  The influence of Mass was less pervasive than that of the congested , slum tenements among the bawdy houses , honkytonks , and sawdust saloons of his birthplace ; he ran wild with the child gangs of the neighbourhood , and went through the normal pressure-cooker <WSD>course</WSD> of thieving , police dodging , and housebreaking . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a mode of action