paula’s initial reaction

I don't think Paula is adynamic character. She is pretty static and flat: she is comic relief. Paula is the dedicated and militant child welfare worker who is first tasked with putting Ricky into a good foster home. She is presented as someone who is committed to maintaining order and discipline above all else, often to villainous and humorous extremes. While she purports to have Ricky's best interests in mind, she is actually the least tender and sensitive adult in his life, and seems to like working for Child Services primarily for the rush of power and control it gives her. She and Ricky share an overblown and comic sense of their own importance.