Ascher describes a mother giving a homeless man a dollar. She tells of this transaction in great detail. She does this to identify with the uncomfortable feeling the homeless can inspire. She asks the reader whether fear or compassion inspired the woman’s contribution to the man. She does this a second him in her following story. She premeditates answering her question until the last page in order to build suspense.
The second incident takes places at a coffee shop. Where a different women brings daily gifts of food to the destitute. I believe she writes another anecdote to summon our experiences in order to make us think about our actions, and the uncomfortable feeling that accompanies poverty. She then goes on to write about the mayor’s plan