Question: why are jem and scout afraid of boo radley?
Answer: Ewell from harming two young, defenseless children. Jem and Scout do not think of Boo Radley as an ethical person until the end of the book when they find that he is a well-intentioned young man. ... He believes that "Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time… because he wants to stay inside" (227).