Leigh's First Attempts To Secure His Lunch Bag
Leigh frowns more and more angry with the unidentified lunch bag thief and decides to prevent the next theft by taping the bag up tightly with yards and yards of Scotch tape so that the thief cannot open it without drawing attention to himself, but in doing so prevents himself from opening it to, getting to keep the best things from his lunch but still not being able to actually eat them, so being no better off than he was before preventing the theft.
The Lunchbox Thief As A Way To Make Friends
Being the "new kid" in school, Leigh did not have a close friend, or another boy to hang out with after school. At first having someone steal the "good stuff" out of his lunch seems like the end of the world but because it inspires him to come up with his lunch box burglar alarm, and makes people notice him, he ends up with a good friend, Barry, which makes him look at the entire episode of the thief on a positive way instead of a negative one.
Barry Liking Spending Time At Leigh's House
Leigh is worried that Barry will view his house the same way Leigh views it - too small, too cramped, no television and mildew in the bathroom. Barry actually views it as a haven where there are no little sisters bothering him and where he can be with just boys, so all of the things that Leigh feels Barry will hate go unnoticed.
Man In The Hardware Store Calling Leigh "Son"
When Leigh is trying to invent his burglar alarm all he wants is for his dad to be there so that he can help him. The helpful man in the hardware store gives him lots of advice and even calls him "son" which is ironic since Leigh would love his dad to call him son, instead of the less paternal "kid" that he addresses him by.
Leigh's Mom's Reason For Divorcing His Dad
Leigh's mom divorced his dad because he was away driving so much and she said she spent too many lonely nights alone at home. This is also why she refuses to give their marriage another try. Ironically her not wanting to be lonely as made her son very lonely, and he is now the one spending hours at home alone.
