Jose’s day with Arnie and Mr. Clemens led him to understand more about society and his life, and he became more mature. For instance, following the incident with Mr. Clemens, he discovered that he did not have to be just a laborer, as his future was “lost in the layers of yellowish haze” (Soto 6). At first, the boy had thought that his future, to work, was set for him, but he soon began to see that nothing was truly determined as his destiny. Jose felt that he was, not only a worker, but a good person who could grow up to be much more than what others wanted. Furthermore, being with Arnie, the boy realized that there were many like his cousin, “the liar, and people like himself, someone he was getting to know” (Soto 6). As a result of this