He ca n't tell Jude the truth because the truth is too much for even an adult to handle . The truth is enough to sting at an adult 's heart and bring tears to a grown man or woman 's eyes . The truth causes disgust to well up in his stomach and a fair amount of shame to release itself into his bloodstream .

Question: Why ca n't the narrator tell Jude the truth ?
Answer: Because Jude wo n't believe them .Because they do n't know the truth .Because Jude is dead .Because they are ashamed .