The toothpaste, makeup compact, and lipstick that Alfred Higgins attempts to steal from Mr. Sam Carr’s drugstore symbolize the scale and degree of “trouble” Alfred has been getting into. They are small and likely rather low-cost items, indicating that Alfred’s thieving is also low-scale and relatively minor. Like Alfred himself, the items are relatively “petty.” Furthermore, while the two tubes of toothpaste may be counted as necessities, the makeup compact and lipstick are not. This indicates that Alfred is likely not stealing from the drugstore out of need; Mr. Carr speculates that he has been stealing items he can sell, and Alfred seems to confirm this when he tells his mother that he has been spending money with his friends (presumably in a wasteful way).

Notably, the items that Alfred steals are all related to personal hygiene or appearance, suggesting the story’s interest in performance—e.g., Alfred’s show of confidence when Mr. Carr confronts him. That two are specifically coded feminine foreshadows the mask Mrs. Higgins adopts when she comes to Alfred’s rescue.

Mr. Carr’s drugstore symbolizes an important turning point in the life of the story’s main character, Alfred. It is here that readers meet Alfred in the middle of shoplifting, about to get into “trouble” with his employer as he has apparently done several times before. Yet it is also at this drugstore that Alfred admits to his crime, is saved by his mother’s gentle composure, and avoids legal consequences for his crime.

In this way, the narrative action at Mr. Carr’s drugstore creates the conditions that allow the story’s resolution to take place. It is only because of Mrs. Higgins’s actions at the drugstore that Alfred understands the deep effects that his behavior has had on her; only after the drugstore scene is Alfred finally able to grow and develop empathy for his mother. The location therefore plays a key role in setting up The Development of Empathy and The True Meaning of Maturity.