In Lexington, where we lived when Nancy met Arthur, I was treated as an outcast.  Shunned by my sisters, ignored or punished by my mother.  I developed into quite the loner.  Interested more in animals than humans.  More comfortable with animals than humans.  Both of my parents had, by then, done their fair share of lying to me so I resorted to animals as friends as they were so much easier to deal with.  I was way to ashamed of how i was treated to ever bring anyone home or to play with anyone after school as my sisters would tell my mother and then the questioning would begin.  Who, why, when and it would get very nosy and invasive,  I was only twelve at the time or maybe thirteen.  When my mother remarried it was like I had been given a stay of execution.  Being male was not something that you had to be embarrassed about.  Nor were you considered, not bad but, evil.  So, perhaps I went a little crazy?  Boys were allowed to behave like boys with Arthur.