Because Maniac enjoys running everywhere, his sneakers become an important symbol for his journey in search of a home and family. When he first runs away from Hollidaysburg, he owns nothing but the clothes he is wearing and the shoes on his feet; his shoes literally carry him all the way to his new life in Two Mills. By the time he arrives in town, they are worn and falling apart, with “the soles of both sneakers hanging by their hinges and flopping open like dog tongues each time they came up from the pavement” (9). As the story continues, the sneakers take on a life of their own, allowing him to meet the Beales, Grayson, and other kind townspeople. With the sneakers to speed him on his way, he can run the bases at the baseball field, climb the zoo fence, beat Mars Bar in the race, and run right onto the railroad tracks to the astonishment of onlookers. His shoes are part of the reason for the growing legend of his identity as Maniac Magee, which in turn allows him to ease the racial tension in Two Mills in his own small way. Shoes are also a symbol of family, as both the Beales and Grayson purchase new shoes for Maniac.